MPs call for sustainable funding for local pharmacies

Community pharmacies received strong cross-party backing in Parliament this week, with MPs warning that the Government’s ambitions for more care in the community cannot be delivered unless pharmacy funding is put on a sustainable footing.

Yesterday’s Westminster Hall debate, sponsored by Leicester East MP Shivani Raja, focused on Government funding for local pharmacies and the pressures affecting pharmacy businesses across England.

Ahead of the debate, Community Pharmacy England briefed MPs on the financial and operational pressures affecting pharmacy owners, with more than 40 MPs receiving a briefing note alongside tailored constituency briefings.

In her opening remarks, Ms Raja said community pharmacies are being asked to play an increasingly important role in primary care, but warned that the sector needs certainty to deliver. She called on the Government to reform medicines reimbursement, consider business-rates relief, and provide sustainable core funding over the longer term.

Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Pharmacy, Sadik Al-Hassan MP, said the gains from the last funding settlement had already been “eaten up by a great amount of costs”. He called for better integration across primary care, supported by digital systems and a shared patient record.

Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak MP spoke about the further potential of Pharmacy First, arguing that greater public awareness should be followed by expanding the service to cover more conditions, drawing on the Scottish model.

Several MPs referenced findings from the Pharmacy Pressures Survey as evidence of the continued financial and operational strain facing pharmacies. Whilst the 2026/27 funding settlement was described as a welcome step away from real-terms cuts, MPs echoed Community Pharmacy England’s view that it “was a ‘first step’ towards stability and not the final destination”.

Other contributions included:

• Rachel Gilmour MP (Tiverton and Minehead) and Lee Dillon MP (Newbury) described the impact of reduced access to pharmacies in their constituencies.
• Shockat Adam MP (Leicester South) and Edward Morello MP (West Dorset) warned that pharmacies are being asked to deliver more for less.
• Alison Bennett MP (Mid Sussex) called for “an exemption for pharmacies from the national insurance contribution increase”.
• Gagan Mohindra MP (South West Hertfordshire) welcomed the Government’s commitment to shifting healthcare into community settings, but said this would not be feasible without matching financial support.
• Greg Stafford MP (Farnham and Bordon) called on Ministers to move quickly to expand Pharmacy First and provide clarity on the timetable for introducing independent prescribing.

The following clip is from the Westminster Hall Debate on Pharmacies: Government Funding that took place on 9th September 2026.

Responding for the Government, Minister Dame Diana Johnson acknowledged that “many community pharmacies face financial pressures” and said Ministers are seeking to ease these, pointing to recent uplifts. She also reiterated the Government’s ambition for community pharmacy to support shifts towards community and preventive healthcare. A third shift to use more digital technology would be rolled out through neighbourhood health services, including plans to provide medicine shortages information “in real time” to support give GP prescribing.

Read the transcript of the session or watch the full video here.

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

“MPs from across Parliament were clear that community pharmacies are essential to the Government’s ambitions for neighbourhood health and care closer to home. But they reflected our call for that ambition to be matched by sustainable funding and practical support. Pharmacies cannot keep being asked to do more while facing rising costs, medicines supply pressures and uncertainty about the future.”

Community Pharmacy England will continue its work with MPs and Government to make the case for a funding model that gives pharmacy owners the confidence to invest in services, teams and premises, and enables pharmacies to play their full role in supporting patients and the NHS.