Pharmacy Opening Hours

Lord Bishop of St Albans Excerpts

Thursday 20th March 2025 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[The Lord Bishop of St Albans]

To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the potential reduction in pharmacy opening hours.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Care (Baroness Merron) (Lab)]

My Lords, this Government recognise that pharmacies are an integral part of our communities. There are processes in place to monitor opening hours and their impact, and core hours of either 40 or 72 hours would not be affected by the proposed action by one trade body. Options are available to patients to access alternative pharmacies or distance-selling pharmacies. We will make an announcement shortly on a funding settlement for the years 2024-25 and 2025-26.

[The Lord Bishop of St Albans]

I thank the Minister for her response. Will His Majesty’s Government publish the independent economic analysis of the pharmacy funding crisis? Also, last summer we nursed my brother-in-law as he died. We had to access medicines, often at short notice. That was very difficult, even in a built-up urban area with many pharmacies around. In rural areas, it is far more difficult. What assessment have His Majesty’s Government made of any limitation of opening hours on health outcomes in rural areas?

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

I will of course discuss the right reverend Prelate’s request for publication of information with Minister Stephen Kinnock, who has been working very hard with the sector in resolving matters on funding.

On opening hours, as I have said, there are core hours, but there are also additional supplementary voluntary hours that community pharmacies can choose to do. There is also a whole range of ways in which people can access pharmacy services—notwithstanding the point the right reverend Prelate made about his personal experience—including being able to contact distance pharmacies, which can provide things through online contact, by telephone call or by other means.

Pharmacies are key to making healthcare fit for the future, but we want to make sure that they are completely accessible. We will work with them to make sure that they, as largely private businesses, do so.