A FORMER Hampshire MP has warned of the growing numbers of medicines in short supply across England.

Sandra Gidley, an MP for Romsey for 10 years from 2000, is now chairwoman of the English Pharmacy Board of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

She said pharmacists were struggling to obtain some common medicines.

“There was a group set up by the Department of Health in 2010 to look at these shortages. But it is fair to say that recently the shortages have been worse than ever,” she said.

“Every day, there are items that are on a short-term supply problem, so you might have to wait two or three days for them to come in, but they do come in eventually.

“The message to patients is: ‘Please don’t leave picking up your medicines to the last minute at the moment’.”

It has emerged that there are 80 medicines in such short supply that the Department of Health and Social Care has agreed to pay a premium price for them.

Martin Sawer, executive director of the Healthcare Distribution Association, said people might be stockpiling medicines.

“Some businesses could be speculating on Brexit,” he added. “That’s the nature of the market.”

However, Ms Gidley, the former Liberal Democrat MP who was the only qualified pharmacist in the House of Commons, denied Brexit was a factor.

Ms Gidley said: “Shortages have been a problem for some years. It’s a fluctuating problem. They are now worse then ever.

“The situation with Brexit is that the Government have recognised that there could be potential supply problems and they have been asking manufacturers to keep in a buffer stock so that if there are freight problems, trouble with customs, patients will still get their drugs.

“Unfortunately, what’s been happening on social media over Christmas is that people have been putting two and two together and assuming that this is because of Brexit. The pharmaceutical supply chain is a very complex subject. There are global issues at play here.”

A monthly list of drugs in short supply is managed by the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC). December’s list includes furosemide, which is used to treat high blood pressure and other cardiovascular problems, fluoxetine, which treats depression, and the anti-inflammatory naproxen.