Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has he made of the sustainability of (a) pharmacists and (b) the wider community pharmacy workforce.

The Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework outlines a transformational programme to integrate community pharmacy into the National Health Service, delivering more clinical services, such as treatment for minor illnesses. The Department and NHS England agree with the sector representative body what community pharmacies will deliver within the £2.592 billion committed annually. Workforce and capacity considerations form part of these negotiations.

Health Education England carried out a community pharmacy workforce survey between 7 May 2021 and 18 June 2021. The survey will provide an updated insight into the size and skill set of the workforce and inform future planning and investment decisions. The results of the survey are being analysed, and anonymised and aggregated data will be published in due course.