Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Community Pharmacy

Tuesday 25 March 2025 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Community pharmacy funding is facing critical challenges with ongoing financial uncertainties.
  • The Department has engaged in public consultation on reforms to address the closure of pharmacies.
  • The economic analysis requested by NHS England will be published soon.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Sarah Hall Labour (Co-op) Warrington South
NHS
Context

Community pharmacies face financial challenges due to rising costs and uncertainty about funding settlements, leading to concerns about potential disruptions in service.

Question

Community pharmacy funding is at a critical juncture with many pharmacies facing financial challenges. With running costs increasing and uncertainty around the date of the upcoming settlement, community pharmacies are concerned that there may be disruption to their business. What steps is the Department taking to ensure that input from community pharmacies is considered prior to any further legislative or regulatory changes relating to the hub and spoke model?

Answer from The Minister for Care (Stephen Kinnock)

My hon. Friend is right that we inherited a system that had been neglected, leading to an average of six pharmacies closing every week over the past two years. We have engaged with a wide range of community pharmacies and representative organisations in a public consultation on hub and spoke reform, and I am pleased to confirm that their responses were overwhelmingly positive in support of model 1 of hub and spoke, which we will be going with. We are also laying draft secondary legislation in the coming weeks to come into force later this year.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific measures for considering input from community pharmacies before further changes.

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Q2 Luke Evans Con Hinckley and Bosworth
NHS
Context

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) is advising its pharmacy members to reduce services and hours due to financial pressures, leading to concerns about potential patient safety if pharmacies close their doors in industrial action.

Question

Now that the Secretary of State is abolishing NHS England, will he listen to calls from NPA for immediate publication of an independent report commissioned by NHS England on pharmacy finances? What contingency plans does the Department have to ensure patients remain safe if pharmacies close due to industrial action?

Answer from The Minister for Care (Stephen Kinnock)

We will publish the economic analysis imminently. We have engaged constructively with CPE, and I am delighted to confirm that we will soon announce the outcome of our negotiations. The NPA's collective action is premature and detrimental to patients. They should wait for the outcome of our discussions. We are taking industrial relations into the 21st century.

Not addressed: Did not provide specific measures or contingency plans to ensure patient safety if pharmacies close due to industrial action.

How: Changing The Subject, Criticising Npa'S Collective Action

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