GLOUCESTERSHIRE’S community pharmacies - including the one at Stroud General Hospital - are to be put out to tender and could be snapped up by private companies.

And the proposal has angered those already concerned about the creeping privatisation of the NHS.

“The possible loss of the Stroud General Hospital pharmacy is something which we consider to be totally unacceptable,” said David Miller, chairman of Stroud Hospital’s League of Friends.

Chairman of Stroud Against the Cuts, James Beecher, also slammed the proposal.

“It’s outrageous that bits of our NHS can be offered up to the private sector to run for profit without staff or the public even being consulted,” he said.

“This cherry-picking of the things the private sector thinks are ‘easy’ and profitable takes money away from our hospitals – hospitals which are already struggling with not enough beds and not enough staff to meet needs – and it will likely result in corners being cut as accountability is weakened.”

Chief executive of the trust, Paul Jennings said: “The purpose of this tender is to ensure a safe, cost-effective and equitable pharmacy service to all the trust’s services,” he said.

“It doesn’t matter who provides the service.”

Mr Jennings was not able to comment on who was bidding for the tender.

A loophole in VAT rules means pharmaceutical companies don’t have to pay 20 per cent VAT but NHS providers do.

In 2014 Unite the Union argued that cuts to the NHS have accelerated privatisation, putting NHS pharmacies at even more at risk.

All details of all tender bids are confidential until the contract has been formally awarded as is any threat of job losses.