Community Pharmacy Closures

Lord Kamall Excerpts

Tuesday 28th January 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

The noble Baroness raises a good point and work is continuing to resolve that. It might also be helpful to say that NHS England has commissioned an economic analysis of the cost of providing pharmaceutical services and that will inform future funding arrangements. I say that in answer to the point the noble Baroness made about the potential savings that can accrue if we maximise the role of pharmacies.

[Lord Kamall (Con)]

My Lords, I understand the point that the Minister made about large chains rationalising their portfolios of premises. Have the Government and the NHS looked into whether the extra money made available to pharmacies from the Pharmacy First programme can make these pharmacies viable where they would not have been before? Secondly, what conversations are NHS England and the department having with retailers, community hubs or, where feasible, GP surgeries to provide local community pharmacy services in partnership with them?

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

The economic analysis by NHS England that I just referred to will be helpful in informing where we go next. I confess that I did not get all the detail of the noble Lord’s second point, so I will look at it in Hansard and I will be pleased to write to him.