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 enable community pharmacy to improve patient access and continuity of care, particularly for people with long term conditions and complex needs.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, community pharmacies will play an important role in the Neighbourhood Health Service, working closely with other primary care providers to deliver more joined-up, accessible, and innovative care closer to patients’ homes. Innovation in pharmacy services is central to this, including through our commitment to make prescribing part of community pharmacy services in England.

Community pharmacies are already one of the most accessible parts of the health service, and this strong local presence means they are well placed to improve patient access and continuity of care. They already support people with long term conditions and complex needs through services such as the New Medicine Service, which helps patients who are prescribed a new medicine for specific long-term conditions, including asthma and hypertension, to use their medicines effectively and improve adherence.

We are committed to looking at how community pharmacy can continue to support improved access for patients and the future development of clinical services as part of our formal consultations with Community Pharmacy England.