In rural areas we have seen this type of thing before. Gone are the local bank, post office and corner shop – valuable community services lost forever in the name of ideology. The community pharmacy may be next and we cannot afford to let this happen. PWC also showed that there is considerable evidence to suggest that in excess of 300 of the 1,200 pharmacies in this country are very small marginal businesses, which are now vulnerable to closure if we proceed with a deregulated market.