Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the role of community pharmacy in alleviating pressure on GPs and hospitals this winter and beyond.

The Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework sets out how community pharmacy will be better integrated in the National Health Service, providing more clinical services such as treatment for minor illnesses. The Community Pharmacist Consultation Service enables NHS 111 and general practitioners to refer patients with a minor illness to a pharmacist for a consultation. The Discharge Medicines Service enables hospitals to refer recently discharged patients to a community pharmacy for support with their medication. NHS England and NHS Improvement are promoting and incentivising such referrals into community pharmacy. In addition, community pharmacies are playing an increasing role in the COVID-19 and flu vaccination programmes.