Minister confirms commitment to pharmacy

Community pharmacy is at the heart of the 10-Year Plan for the NHS, with this year’s investment into the CPCF a clear signal of Government’s commitment to the sector, Minister of State for Care Stephen Kinnock MP has told LPCs.

Addressing the Forum of LPC Chairs in Westminster on Monday, Minister Kinnock described community pharmacy as “one of the NHS’s most important front doors”, providing vital services where people need them most.

CPE CEO Janet Morrison and Chair Jenny Harries welcome Minister Stephen Kinnock and MP Sadik Al-Hassan to the Forum of LPC Chairs meeting.

Talking about the recent CPCF settlement, Minister Kinnock outlined how the Government had sought to prioritise measures to support stability and the core function of pharmacy, but said he was clear that the settlement was “not the whole answer – we recognise the very real pressures facing pharmacies.”

The Minister spoke about the need to look at reforms, which would include the introduction of Independent Prescribing, but be broader than that – looking at how the contractual framework supports the core activities, at reducing administrative burdens and at embedding pharmacies within local care pathways.

“Reform goes hand in hand with sustainability,” he said, emphasising that this would require collaborative working to ensure a sustainable network for the future.

The Minister praised LPCs as “the bridge between national policy and local delivery”, giving community pharmacies a voice in ICBs.

Minister Kinnock opened this week’s Forum of LPC Chairs meeting, which had a busy agenda discussing the CPCF 2026/27 settlement and plans for the rest of the year, followed by a Parliamentary reception.

The Forum also heard from Sadik Al-Hassan MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Pharmacy who set out the possibilities for community pharmacy’s clinical future, saying that the integration of Independent Prescribing into Pharmacy First must be a first step “not the ceiling of our ambition”.

Mr Al-Hassan said we needed to be honest about the pressures across community pharmacy, but also reassured Chairs that pharmacy’s voice across Parliament is loud and clear.