MPs back pharmacies at Parliamentary drop-in event
Community Pharmacy England met with 45 MPs and parliamentary staff at the Houses of Parliament earlier this week (Tuesday 10th September 2024) to discuss the critical pressures on community pharmacies and their important role in local healthcare.
During the busy event, MPs were shown how residents in their constituencies benefit from pharmacy services including Pharmacy First service and winter vaccinations, and they were briefed on the untapped clinical potential of the sector.
The sector’s deepening financial crisis was also highlighted, with MPs learning more about what needs to be done to stabilise the community pharmacy sector.
MPs in attendance voiced their support on social media, with many signing a cross-party letter urging the Secretary of State to stabilise the sector, improve promotion of Pharmacy First, and expand clinical services such as the Community Pharmacist Prescribing Service with proper funding.
Zoe Long, Community Pharmacy England Director of Communications, Corporate and Public Affairs said:
“Work to brief MPs about community pharmacy has been ongoing throughout the summer, so it was fantastic to see so many Parliamentarians wanting to find out more about the sector. There is clearly much Parliamentary support for community pharmacy, and we are looking forward to continuing to work with all those MPs who joined us, and many more.”
Community Pharmacy England influencing and campaigning work
Community Pharmacy England continues to warn Government and the NHS about the ongoing impact of the severe financial pressures that community pharmacies are facing.
To support all of this ongoing work, we recently released our national Pharmacy Pressures Survey 2024: Funding and Profitability Report, updated our guidance for engaging with MPs and added a number of MP briefings to our Information for Politicians webpage. These include information about Pharmacy First as well as our latest position on topical issues.
—
I was pleased to meet with @ComPharmEngland in Parliament today.
Community pharmacies provide vital services to my constituents in North Durham and I will continue to champion them. pic.twitter.com/UGhYwZ4zvZ
— Luke Akehurst (@lukeakehurst) September 10, 2024
…sat down with members of @ComPharmEngland to discuss the funding increase community pharmacies need if they are to continue to provide vital healthcare services…. pic.twitter.com/5XacxwA2Yu
— Edward Morello MP (@EdwardMorelloWD) September 10, 2024
🤝Today I met with @ComPharmEngland in Parliament where I heard about the pressures on community pharmacies in Harrogate and Knaresborough.
💊The current situation is increasingly unsustainable – we need to back our pharmacies.
⚕️We talked about the increasing impact of shared… pic.twitter.com/BmvmqSs81O
— Tom Gordon MP (@tomgordonLD) September 10, 2024
Members of Community Pharmacy England’s Committee and policy team are present at today’s drop-in event
Here are Community Pharmacy England CEO, Janet Morrison and Committee Member, Olivier Picard 👇 https://t.co/iMT4ZSucce
— Community Pharmacy England (@ComPharmEngland) September 10, 2024
Great to meet with @ZoeFranklinLD at the @ComPharmEngland drop-in event in Westminster today, talking funding crisis of the sector & the potential we offer with the right investment – but there’s no point icing a crumbling cake. Let’s fix core funding first! #PharmacyFunding #NHS pic.twitter.com/MW3J5Z4pBF
— Olivier Picard (@OlivierPicardUK) September 10, 2024
Great to meet with @ComPharmEngland today at the Parliamentary drop-in. We have 21 pharmacies in Dagenham & Rainham, and they provide a fantastic service for my constituents. As the MP I will do what I can to keep their doors open. https://t.co/HrFlXpZ4vM
— Margaret Mullane MP (@Margaret4DR) September 10, 2024
Great to meet with @DannyVet at the @ComPharmEngland drop-in event in Westminster today, talking funding crisis of the sector & the potential we offer with the right investment – but there’s no point icing a crumbling cake. Let’s fix core funding first! #PharmacyFunding #NHS pic.twitter.com/KGGJeMKlMo
— Olivier Picard (@OlivierPicardUK) September 10, 2024
