MPs call for increased funding for community pharmacies

Twenty MPs from all three major parties took part in a parliamentary debate calling for government investment and support for community pharmacies yesterday (December 17th).

The debate was focused on Devon and the South West region, but MPs highlighted the crisis affecting pharmacies across the country.

Ahead of the debate, Community Pharmacy England produced personalised constituency-specific briefings for all 63 MPs representing South West seats. With the help of LPCs, we ensured that all MPs had their local statistics and were briefed on both the national and local challenges that pharmacies face.

The debate was secured by Liberal Democrat MP, Rachel Gilmore, who represents Tiverton and Minehead. She kicked off the debate by highlighting the fact that fewer pharmacies are open now than at any time since 2008/09 ‘even though their workload is 40% higher, in terms of annual prescriptions.’

Throughout her speech she referred to the wide range of services that pharmacies now offer, as well as noting that with sustainable funding, the ‘sector could do even more to improve access to primary care’.

Rachel also referenced the value that pharmacies have in relieving pressure on other areas of the health service, using data from Community Pharmacy England’s most recent Advice Audit suggesting that they have saved ‘up to 37.7 million GP appointments over the course of a year’.

She closed her speech with a plea for ‘proper investment to safeguard and fix our broken pharmacy system, and to ensure that our health system is up to scratch’.

Sadik Al-Hassan, the Labour MP for North Somerset and Vice Chari of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Pharmacy, also spoke in support of increased funding for pharmacies. He was clear in his ask of Government who ‘must stabilise the sector today with a fair funding settlement’.

He went on to say: “The prescription for pharmacy is an immediate funding settlement for this year to stabilise the sector with a sticking plaster while we look at the longer-term changes the industry needs.”

All MPs who subsequently spoke in this debate voiced their appreciation for pharmacies and concern for their future.

The full transcript of the debate can be accessed here.

In his response, the Minister with responsibility for pharmacy, Stephen Kinnock MP, thanked community pharmacy teams for their ‘professionalism, hard work and dedication in providing excellent standards of patient care’.

He went on to outline his desire that pharmacies should have a ‘greater role’ in providing healthcare on the high street. “We want pharmacists to be providing new and impactful clinical services, including our future pharmacies’ prescribing service’ which will be ‘imperative’ to deliver on the government’s mission and health and economic growth.”

In response to an intervention from the Shadow Pharmacy Minster, Dr Luke Evans MP, the Minister also announced that negotiations on the contractual framework for 2023/24 will start ‘early in the new year.’

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

“We are very grateful for the support of all MPs who took part in this debate to voice their support for increased funding for their local community pharmacies. Never before have we seen so many Parliamentarians recognising that pharmacies are in crisis and calling for investment.

I hope the Minister noted the strength of feeling expressed at the debate from MPs worried and concerned for the long-term sustainability of healthcare provision in their communities. This of course reflects the desperation, and anger, of community pharmacy about the current crisis given all that pharmacies have done, and continue to do, for patients and the NHS.

We have been pushing to start negotiations for many months and this cannot happen quickly enough. Urgent action is needed to keep pharmacies afloat and to protect communities’ access to medicine supply and health advice. We have been absolutely clear to Government and the NHS that without an adequate immediate funding injection they can expect to see many more closures – we look forward beginning negotiations early in the New Year.”

Full list of MPs who took part in the debate:

Rachel Gilmour, Sarah Dyke, Ann Davies, Jim Shannon, Steve Race, Sir Ashley Fox, Adam Dance, Claire Young, Andrew George, Sadik Al-Hassan, Steve Darling, Anna Gelderd, Vikki Slade, Edward Morello, Richard Foord, Lloyd Hatton, Dr Danny Chambers, Caroline Voaden, Dr Luke Evans (opposition frontbench), Stephen Kinnock (frontbench)