New funding for local drugs and alcohol treatment

Pharmacy press

The Government has issued a press release about its strategy to combat drug and alcohol misuse, announcing that £267 million has been allocated for local authorities in England to boost local drug and alcohol treatment.

We were asked to comment on the likelihood that community pharmacy services would benefit from this funding.

Our Director of NHS Services, Alastair Buxton, said:

“Community pharmacy teams are vital assets in supporting key public health initiatives such as those around treatment for drug and alcohol use. The local commissioning of such services by councils has been impacted in recent years by reductions in public health budgets, so news of increased funding from the Government is good news and it should be used to increase the locally commissioned services that community pharmacies provide.

“This move would align with the recently published Vision for Community Pharmacy which recommends widening the scope of pharmacy in the prevention arena, enabling them to offer a package of public health services helping position pharmacies as local health and wellbeing hubs.”