Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support the funding model for community pharmacies, in the context of recent trends in the number of (a) service reductions and (b) pharmacy closures.

Community pharmacies play a vital role in our healthcare system. We are committed to expanding the role of pharmacies and better utilising the skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. That includes making prescribing part of the services delivered by community pharmacists as part of the shift from hospital to community, and from treatment to prevention.

Community pharmacies already play a key role in delivering a wide range of vaccine services. Currently, NHS England commission the Community Pharmacy Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Advanced Service and the COVID-19 Vaccination National Enhanced Service on a national level. The Department will keep the scope of vaccinations available in community pharmacies under review.

The Government recently resumed its consultation with Community Pharmacy England regarding funding arrangements for community pharmacy across 2024/25 and 2025/26.

Additionally, the Government has also launched a 10-Year Health Plan to reform the National Health Service. A central part of the 10-Year Health Plan will be our workforce and how we ensure we train and provide the staff, technology, and infrastructure the NHS needs to care for patients across our communities. The 10-Year Health Plan will also align with our priority for implementing the Women’s Health Strategy as we reform the NHS, ensuring that all women can access the care that they need.

The Department also remains committed to supporting people with long-term conditions and ensuring they receive the support that they need, including referral to specialist services as appropriate. We invest in health research for long term conditions through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, the Medical Research Council, and UK Research and Innovation.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning most services for people with long-term conditions. ICBs are allocated funding by NHS England to meet local needs and priorities and improve outcomes. NHS England continues to set national standards, service specifications, and clinical access policies which ICBs are expected to apply.