SHORTAGE OF PRESCRIPTION MEDICINES

at end add `agrees with Patients Association Chief Executive Katherine Murphy who said having access to medicines prescribed by a doctor when a patient needs them is a basic right; welcomes the investigation into medicine shortages by the All-Party Pharmacy Group; notes that recent surveys of pharmacies and feedback from local pharmaceutical committees and primary care trusts and health boards across England and Wales indicate that the supply chain problems are worsening; urges the Government to commission immediately an independent survey of the effects of the supply chain problems on pharmacies, dispensing doctors and patients; further urges the Government to assess the economic burden across the supply chain from dispenser to manufacturer; and finally, urges the Government to act promptly to resolve the matter in the best interest of patients across the UK.'.