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.