I have been contacted by a number of constituents concerned about funding for independent pharmacies and hope that the following will be of some reassurance.
Whilst spending on health continues to grow - with a £10 billion real terms increase in NHS funding in England between 2014/15 and 2020/21 - the Government in the Spending Review re-affirmed the need for the NHS to deliver £22 billion in efficiency savings, as set out in the NHS’s own plan, the Five Year Forward View. Community pharmacies are a core part of primary care and therefore the Government wants to transform the system to deliver efficiency savings, while ensuring the model of community pharmacies reflects patient and public expectations and uses the opportunities offered by developments in technology. This includes the promotion of the use of online, click and collect or home delivery models, to help patients to get their prescriptions in a way that fits conveniently into their lifestyle.
I share the views of my constituents about the importance of community pharmacies and want to see the local services run by the pharmacists we trust continue to thrive. That’s why the Government is consulting on introducing a Pharmacy Access Scheme, which will aim to deliver the efficiencies referred to above, without compromising the quality of service provided by community pharmacies, or public access to them. More details on the detailed discussions with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee and the consultation with the pharmacy sector, patients and public organisations can be read here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/putting-community-pharmacy-at-the-heart-of-the-nhs.
I wrote earlier this month to the Health Minister for an update on the consultation so that I can feed this back to my constituents and the response is attached at the foot of this page.
I hope that this provides the necessary clarification.