HASLEMERE Pharmacy manager Oormi Rahmann is urging customers to sign up to a national campaign opposing government funding cuts that threaten the future of the service and up to 3,000 other community pharmacies.

The pharmacy at Haslemere Health Centre opened in 2013.

It enables patients to get their medication on-site and is open when the surgery is open. But is at risk, following plans to cut NHS funding by £170 million.

The Department of Health (DoH) considers there are more pharmacies than needed in some parts of the country

But the Royal Pharmaceutical Society says closures could put more pressure on GPs and accident and emergency departments.

An average community pharmacy, as opposed to one within a hospital, receives about £220,000 in NHS funding each year.

According to the DoH, funding for those pharmacies is set to fall from £2.8billion to £2.63billion from October, as part of the drive to find £22billion of savings across the health service by 2020.

The estimate is between 1,000 and 3,000 community pharmacies, out of 11,674 overall, could close.

Mr Rahmann said: “In addition to the potential pharmacy closures many pharmacies will be forced to reduce staffing levels which will result in many of the services offered in pharmacies being withdrawn.

“Think about the services we offer – medicines use reviews, advice on new medicines, flu vaccinations, free prescription delivery and a wide range of healthy lifestyle advice – all incredibly valuable and accessible services which, without them, could lead to potentially life threatening outcomes for some.

“We are urging our customers to sign the petition against these funding cuts, which we have available in the pharmacy and which can also be found online

“These funding cuts will affect pharmacies and their customers across the whole of the UK.”

To signal your support for your local pharmacy go to www.petition.parliament.uk/petitions/116943.

Supporters can also back the campaign by following “Support Your Local Pharmacy” on Facebook and sharing stories and experiences of how a local pharmacy has supported you.

To follow the campaign go to www.supportyourloc alpharmacy.org