Peers highlight critical issues for community pharmacies in Parliament
Community pharmacies received strong backing yesterday in Parliament, with numerous Peers speaking out in support of the sector, recognising their vital role in community healthcare and raising the urgent funding challenges they face.
Discussions in the House of Lords included expressing a desire to expand community pharmacies’ role in public health and the Government’s commitment to work with Community Pharmacy England on sustainable funding. Medicine supply instability and operational pressures were also flagged as critical issues impacting community pharmacy’s viability and patient care.
The Parliamentary session was opened by Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville (Liberal Democrat), who asked the Government: “what plans they have for preventing further community pharmacy closures”. Seven other Peers followed with their own pharmacy related questions for the Health Minister, Baroness Merron. Community Pharmacy England briefed Peers across all political parties and the crossbenches ahead of the session, with several speakers referencing our written briefings and statistics.
Starting the debate, Baroness Bakewell asked the Minister whether the Government believes that pharmacies are in a healthy state to support the Pharmacy First service, given that there has been a loss of 1,200 pharmacies in England since 2017 and funding shortfalls in England standing at £100,000 per pharmacy.
Health Minister Baroness Merron responded by noting that 98% of community pharmacies are signed up to Pharmacy First and she is “very glad at how it’s developing”. Turning to closures, the Minister said that the majority “in recent years were the result of large pharmacy chains optimising their portfolios” but also noted that integrated care boards must give regard to pharmaceutical needs assessments to manage local provision.
Former Cabinet Minister Lord Fowler (Crossbench) commented that community pharmacy has not been used to its full potential, and asked whether a policy should be developed so that community pharmacy can make “an even bigger contribution to public health in this country”. The Minister responded by referencing that negotiations with Community Pharmacy England have commenced, adding that the Government “hopes to agree a package of funding reflective of the important support” that pharmacies provide to patients.
Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (Crossbench) said that community pharmacies saved an estimated 38 million consultations that would otherwise be in general practice each year, citing Community Pharmacy England’s Pharmacy Audit. She also asked whether, in light of ongoing medicines supply issues, the Government is planning to allow community pharmacists to modify prescriptions as recommended by Community Pharmacy England, rather than having to spend time re-contacting a GP.
Baroness Humphreys (Liberal Democrat) had similar concerns about medicines supply, noting that this instability “puts operational pressure on pharmacies, financial pressures on businesses and for patients, it can mean alarming delays”.
Read the transcript of the session or watch the video below.
Zoe Long, Director of Communications, Corporate and Public Affairs at Community Pharmacy England, said:
“This debate in the House of Lords once again underscored the critical challenges facing community pharmacies, including funding shortfalls, closures, and medicine supply instability. It was encouraging to see such strong cross-party support for the sector, as well as recognition of the vital role pharmacies play in alleviating pressures on GPs and delivering public health services.”
The following clip is from a House of Lords oral questions session that took place on 28th January 2025.