Pharmacies: Rural Areas

Lord Kamall Excerpts

Tuesday 10th September 2024 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

On the point that the noble Lord correctly raises, it is worth reflecting that there has already been a reduction in the number of pharmacies since 2017. There are now some 1,200 fewer pharmacies than we had in 2017 and 600 fewer than there were two years ago. This is a trajectory that we would rather was not the case. Support is available—for example, through the Pharmacy Access Scheme, which provides financial support to pharmacies in areas where there are fewer pharmacies. I can say that we are monitoring access to pharmacies. While it is the case that four in five people live within a 20-minute walk from a community pharmacy, we absolutely recognise that the experiences of patients differ. If we are to see pharmacies as key to future plans for the health services, we will have to address that.

[Lord Kamall (Con)]

My Lords, we recognise that the current access to healthcare is based on an outdated model, where far too many patients are unable to book GP appointments online or by telephone in advance. They have to join the 8 am lottery to try to get an appointment by phone, only to be referred later to a pharmacist or hospital. The Pharmacy First reforms introduced by the last Government attempt to unblock the GP surgery bottleneck by allowing patients to access treatment for common health conditions without the need for a GP appointment. To ensure that patients in rural communities equally benefit from the Pharmacy First initiative, is the Minister able to give the House a firm commitment that the Government will continue the Pharmacy First approach and look at how this could be accessed by more patients in rural areas?

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

I am pleased to say that, as I am sure the noble Lord is aware, prescribing pilots are going on in NHS England. These will look at what more pharmacies could do in this regard, in particular asking whether more minor illnesses could be dealt with, and whether the long-term management of conditions could be better managed through pharmacies. We will be very interested in what those pilots come up with. They are across the entire country, so will of course include rural areas. This is something that we will want to ensure is available in rural and urban environments.