NHS contracts, which put a black hole in many pharmacies' finances, have brought Tubbs Pharmacy in Newton Ferrers under threat of closure.

When Rebecca Smith MP was made aware by constituents, she made it a priority to visit the pharmacy in the New Year and launched a petition to make the case for fairer NHS contacts.

The South West Devon MP has long been a supporter of community pharmacies, spending time at many chemists in and around the constituency. She argues that the situation has never been this dire.

Rebecca Smith MP, Member of Parliament for South West Devon, stated:

“Having heard from Pharmacy Owner, Esi Kumurdzi and worried constituents before Christmas, I used my first Constituency Friday of 2025 to visit the village to hear more and see how I can help.

“Faced with rising staff costs due in large part to the Labour government's increase to employers National Insurance Contributions and having to pay her supplier more for medicines than she is repaid by the NHS, Esi is rightly deeply worried. She currently provides a vital service to the population of Newton Ferrers and Noss Mayo, the majority of who are over retirement age. However, as things currently stand, she is nervous for the future.

“I have committed to Esi and her loyal customers that I will use every tool I have to raise this specific issue and the wider problems faced by community pharmacists. If we don’t get community pharmacy right, the rest of the health service will suffer.

“Please sign my petition to enable me to go to the Secretary of State for Health on behalf of the Newton and Noss Community, seeking support for their pharmacy and the thousands of community pharmacies across the country.”

Despite the clear need for her medical service in the community, Newton Ferrers pharmacist and owner Evi Kumurdzi is having to use her own money to subsidise the cost of prescriptions. Like many pharmacists, a great deal of the medicine Evi buys she sells at a loss. One example is blood thinner, which she loses 93p on for every packet.

Evi, supported by only two colleagues, serves more than 1,300 patients from the villages of Newton Ferrers and Noss Mayo. Many of Evi's loyal customers are elderly and have described her care in the community as a lifeline.

Evi fears that without the NHS Pharmacy contract changing soon, she will be forced to close her pharmacy in just months.

Rebecca argues that pharmacists should not be out of pocket for the vital services they provide in their community. South West Devon alone has 14 pharmacies, each facing the same challenges. If they close it will leave many isolated and only move the problem along to GPs, adding further pressure on NHS waiting lists.

In response, Rebecca has launched a petition which calls on the new Government to ensure that the NHS funding pharmacists receive for prescriptions matches their cost.

To add your support to help save the Newton Ferrers Pharmacy. visit: https://www.rebecca-smith.org.uk/campaigns/sign-petition-save-newton-ferrers-pharmacy