Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help support community pharmacies with increased (a) running and (b) pharmaceutical costs.

The Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework: 2019 to 2024 commits £2.592 billion each year to the sector. In September 2022, we announced a one-off £100 million investment into pharmacy for the remainder of the five year deal. The agreement also includes new and expanded services in community pharmacy.

When market prices go up and pharmacies cannot purchase products at or below the Drug Tariff NHS reimbursement price, the Pharmaceutical Service Negotiating Committee can request the Department to reconsider the reimbursement price and set a concessionary price. Concessionary prices are established using real time data from suppliers to generate prices that are reflective of the overall market.