Community Pharmacy England to brief MPs on medicines supply issues

Community Pharmacy England will host a Parliamentary drop-in event in July to brief MPs and Peers about the ongoing medicines supply chain issues that are negatively affecting pharmacies and their patients across the country.

Since our Pressures Survey earlier this year highlighted the extent of both the operational and financial impacts of medicines supply issues on pharmacy businesses, we have continued to hear from both pharmacy owners and others about the problems. We know that there is also considerable concern amongst patient groups about this issue.

The aim of the event is to help ensure that MPs understand the problems and their impact on pharmacies. Peter Dowd MP is hosting the event, joined by representatives from Community Pharmacy England, the Nuffield Trust, patient groups and more. We will be using the event to:

• Explain some of the reasons for the problems;
• Set out how pharmacies are already doing much work to help to alleviate the issues;
• Explain the impact the problems are having on pharmacies both operationally and financially;
• Once again highlight the wider pressures on community pharmacy and the need for further investment and support; and
• Build support for potential solutions as to how we can help to further improve the situation for pharmacies and their patients.

Attendees will be provided with a background briefing on current medicine supply issues, with additional constituency focused information available.

The event will also be another opportunity to talk to MPs from across the political spectrum about the very serious situation that community pharmacies still find themselves in and the need for further investment in the sector.

There’s still time to invite your MP to attend this event. To do so, you can adapt our template and email your MP. You can find your local MP’s contact address using the Find Your MP function. You can also tag/retweet our Twitter posts over the next few weeks.

If you have any questions about the event, please contact comms.team@cpe.org.uk.

Janet Morrison OBE, Chief executive of Community Pharmacy England said:

“The results of our Pressures Survey earlier this year showed just how much supply issues are continuing to negatively impact pharmacy businesses and all those who work in them. The survey found that almost all pharmacy owners (97%) are facing significant increases in wholesaler and medicine supply issues, with 71% saying this was leading to delays in prescriptions being issued.

This cannot continue – pharmacy owners need certainty that they can obtain and supply the medicines their patients need in a timely manner, and that they will always be fairly reimbursed for doing so.

We are hosting this event to help MPs understand the impact of medicines shortages on patients and to explain how community pharmacies are going above and beyond to mitigate these issues for their patients, often at great personal expense of pharmacy owners who end up bearing the costs of the NHS. But there is only so much they can do and we do now need MPs to help us to seek Government and NHS action to ease these issues and provide solutions.”