LLOYDS Pharmacy has won a contract to provide medicine to Gloucestershire’s seven community pharmacies, including the one at Stroud General Hospital.

Speaking to BBC Glos this morning chief executive of Gloucestershire Care Services, Paul Jennings said that the service provided would be “better”.

The new scheme will be in place by Wednesday, April 1.

Pharmacy services are to be available seven days a week, up from the five day a week service that the NHS was providing.

None of the community hospitals in Gloucestershire will have onsite pharmacies.

Lloyds will operate from their existing pharmacies and from a central distribution point.

When Mr Jennings was asked about what might happen to NHS staff he said that they were still in negotiations over it but that Gloucestershire Care Services “are hoping for a good resolution. A good resolution would mean that they are all employed,” he said.

“They won’t be in Stroud pharmacy because there won’t be a pharmacy there,” he added.

While the amount of the contract awarded to Lloyds is confidential Mr Jennings maintains that it will cost less than it currently costs.

But campaign groups in Stroud are arguing that privatisation of the NHS is not good news.

James Beecher, who was involved in the 2012 keep Gloucestershire’s NHS public campaign said: “The NHS is set up to provide services on the basis of need.

“Private companies face an objective of making profits for share holders.

“They are interested in bits of the NHS that they think will be profitable so they cherry pick those parts.

“It potentially takes profit out of the NHS that could be reinvested elsewhere.”

The SNJ is waiting to hear whether Gloucestershire NHS hospitals foundation trust bid for the contract or not.