Leading the Debate on Community Pharmacies

As a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Pharmacy, I recently led a Westminster Hall debate to call on the Government to recognise the tremendous value that England’s 11,200 pharmacies bring to the NHS and local communities.

Opening the debate I put my thanks on record:

“I think I am correct in saying that all Members present today would like to put on record their thanks and express their appreciation for all pharmacists, pharmacy dispensers, pharmacy technicians, medicines counter assistants, delivery drivers and administrative teams, who worked so hard during that difficult time to maintain the public’s access to the pharmaceutical services that they relied on.”

During the debate, I cited a concerning report produced by the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) which found that pharmacies will receive a real-terms funding decrease year on year. Moreover a recent survey conducted by PSNC found 90% of pharmacy businesses are now unable to spend as much time with patients as they did before. Perhaps more worryingly, 92% of respondents said that patients were beginning to be negatively affected by the current pressures on their pharmacy. Despite pharmacies being a significant part of the NHS family, pharmacy funding has not received the annual funding growth of 3.4% per annum that the rest of the NHS has been afforded. I used this debate as an opportunity to call on the Government to ensure pharmacies get the proper funding they deserve, as a reflection of the vital services they provide.

Turning towards the future:

“I would like to see pharmacies evolve into the go-to healthcare settings for help with minor ailments. There is no need for otherwise healthy patients with minor conditions to continue to see their GP. The truth is that they can get the same expert advice from their local pharmacist, who can exercise their clinical judgment and sometimes even prescribe medicines or offer an over-the-counter treatment at half the cost to the NHS. Indeed, the PSNC estimates that if this policy was rolled out nationwide, the NHS could save a staggering £640 million”

To view a transcript of the debate please click here.