Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of community pharmacies on managing medicine shortages, prescribing issues and medicines optimisation.

Community pharmacies help patients to use medicines safely and effectively, and manage any medicine shortages, working alongside the Department and NHS England. Leaflets on national shortage management advice and supporting patients safely are available on the Specialist Pharmacy Service website at the following link:

https://sps.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Advice-for-patients-during-a-medicines-shortage.pdf

Community pharmacies also support medicines optimisation, including at the point of discharge from hospital and for newly prescribed medicines. Further information is available at the links below:

www.england.nhs.uk/primary-care/pharmacy/pharmacy-services/nhs-discharge-medicines-service/

www.england.nhs.uk/primary-care/pharmacy/pharmacy-services/nhs-new-medicine-service/

NHS community pharmacist prescribers can address local shortages as agreed with their integrated care board and, following discussion with the prescriber, issue new prescriptions where needed for timely supply. This is supported by the Prescription Management Guidance, NHS Community Pharmacy Prescribing Specification and Professional Assurance Framework for governance and assurance, all available at the links below:

www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/nhs-community-pharmacy-prescribing-prescription-management-guidance/

www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/nhs-community-pharmacy-prescribing-specification/

www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/professional-assurance-framework-for-delivering-nhs-community-pharmacy-clinical-services/