Commons Sense

House of Commons · Westminster Hall

Community Pharmacies — [Sir Mark Hendrick in the Chair]

14 September 2023 · 7 other contributors · 12,286 words

Opened by Peter Aldous Con Waveney

Responding minister: Neil O'Brien

NHS

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Peter Aldous raised concerns about community pharmacies — [sir mark hendrick in the chair] in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.

Key points

  • Community pharmacy sector faces a 30% real-terms funding reduction over seven years, leading to operational challenges and workforce shortages.
  • Pharmacies report reducing discretionary services due to funding cuts, impacting patient care and service availability.
  • Government investing 645 million to establish Pharmacy First, a new NHS service for patients with common conditions to access prescription-only medicines without GP referral.

Key requests to Government

The Government should provide a stable, long-term, and sustainable funding commitment that addresses underfunding of existing core services through a review of the community pharmacy contractual framework. This includes additional funding, alignment of care pathways, and incentives within primary care systems to ensure pharmacies can realise their full potential.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Peter Aldous Con Waveney

The community pharmacy sector is facing enormous pressures due to a real-terms reduction in funding of 30% over the past seven years, coupled with inflationary pressures and workforce shortages. This has led to operational challenges, financial burdens, and delays for patients. The number of pharmacies reduced by 222 in the first six months of this year, and there are concerns about permanent closures. Pharmacists are cutting back on discretionary services due to funding cuts, impacting patient care and service availability.

Other contributors (7)
  • Esther McVey Con Tatton

    The community pharmacist in Knutsford had to close their pharmacy due to inadequate funding and rising operational costs. Pharmacies are closing across the country, with 222 closures between December 2022 and June 2023. Medicines shortages lead to pharmacists dispensing medicines at a loss and face significant increases in workload and aggression from patients.

  • George Howarth Lab Knowsley

    The MP emphasised the need for a pharmacy-first approach to address minor medical issues and reduce pressure on GP and hospital services. He noted that while the Health Secretary committed £650 million over two years, there remains a funding shortfall of at least £67,000 per pharmacy annually, hindering service delivery. The MP highlighted workforce shortages, with an estimated 31,000 pharmacist vacancies nationwide, and stressed the importance of addressing IT interoperability issues to facilitate patient data access.

  • Judith Cummins Lab Bradford South

    She defended funding for community pharmacies' core services, which have been cut in real terms. She highlighted the critical role of community pharmacies during the COVID pandemic and expressed concerns over pharmacy closures, workforce shortages, and funding shortfalls. Judith Cummins also questioned how additional roles reimbursement would be managed to recruit and retain pharmacists.

  • Mark Hendrick Lab Co-op Preston

    Order. May I remind Members that they need to bob if they wish to be called?

  • Preet Kaur Gill Lab Co-op Birmingham Edgbaston

    Community pharmacy is crucial in relieving pressure on GPs and delivering first-class care, with pharmacists providing over 58 million informal consultations annually. Concerns were raised about the financial pressures leading to closures, particularly in deprived areas, and the lack of progress on hub-and-spoke dispensing model reforms. The speaker also highlighted staffing shortages and the need for more skilled pharmacy staff. There is a call for acceleration of independent prescribing services and cutting red tape to allow better utilisation of pharmacists' expertise.

  • Steve Brine Con Winchester and Chandler's Ford

    Commends the work on community pharmacies, highlights the importance of Pharmacy First in primary care recovery plan, discusses the Select Committee's inquiry into pharmacy services including funding and workforce challenges. Points out the need for innovation like automation and hub-and-spoke arrangements to address service delivery issues. Raises concerns about the risk of pharmacy closures due to a serious funding shortfall, mentions the impact of staff moving to primary care roles, and IT system limitations in sharing patient information. Discusses the importance of making PrEP available through community pharmacies as part of HIV prevention efforts. Urges the Government to improve the medicines supply chain planning for future pandemics.

  • Taiwo Owatemi Lab Coventry North West

    Discussed the challenges faced by community pharmacies, including supply chain issues, funding cuts leading to pharmacy closures, and workforce shortages. Highlighted opportunities for pharmacies in delivering primary care services like vaccinations and managing chronic conditions. Raised concerns over online pharmacy regulation and called for better support for pharmacists to become prescribers. Asked the Minister to return to her earlier question about whether he can attend an All-Party Parliamentary Group meeting with key pharmacy stakeholders.

Government Response

Neil O'Brien

Community pharmacies play a crucial role in the UK's health system. The Government are investing £645 million to establish Pharmacy First, a new NHS service allowing patients with seven common conditions to be supplied prescription-only medicines without needing a GP referral. Additionally, there is an ongoing investment of £2.592 billion annually for community pharmacy services through the 2019-2024 deal. Over 2.8 million consultations have been provided at community pharmacies since these services began, with more than 1,300 heart attacks and strokes potentially prevented thanks to blood pressure checks. The Minister also mentioned an additional £50 million in funding last year and this year for Pharmacy First and expanded existing services. To improve accessibility, the number of small independent pharmacies is increasing while larger businesses are divesting. Furthermore, the Government have introduced legislation enabling pharmacists to prescribe independently, which will help reduce pressure on GPs. NHS England plans to implement pharmacy prescribing services based on pilot studies, aiming to enhance community pharmacy's role in providing advanced services like PrEP.

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