This week in Parliament w/c 25th November

Welcome back to the APPG on Pharmacy weekly Parliamentary update. Set out below is a summary of key parliamentary and policy developments in community pharmacy from the week just gone.

Key Parliamentary Activity

Oral Contributions

World Aids Day - Wednesday 27th November 2024. Full transcript available here. 

  • Danny Beale (Uxbridge and South Ruislip) spoke on the value pharmacies in providing preventative medication, such as PrEP and ensuring availability in primary care settings. Crticised the current NHS system for siloing access . 

Written Questions:

There were 11 written questions relating to Pharmacy answered in the House of Commons  and House of Lords this week. These can be viewed on Hansard here.

This week in Parliament w/c 18th November

Welcome back to the APPG on Pharmacy weekly Parliamentary update. Set out below is a summary of key parliamentary developments in community pharmacy from the week just gone.

Key Parliamentary Activity

Health and Social Care Select Committee - Independent investigation of the NHS in England - Oral evidence - 20th November 2024. Full transcript available here.

On Wednesday morning, the Health and Social Care Select Committee held its first public session in the new parliamentary term. This session looked to question Lord Darzi on key issues identified from his recent report, the ’ Independent investigation of the NHS in England’.

The session examined key themes from Darzi's report, including the importance of Labour’s shift from hospital to community-based care in delivering wider health system ambitions.

Community pharmacies were highlighted as an untapped resource to alleviate GP pressures and improve preventative care. Specifically, Darzi stated pharmacies could provide both healthcare and wellbeing support, claiming this is an ‘opportunity missed’. He stated that community pharmacy could help to reduce the burden on GPs and community services, a role which was evident during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Emphasis was also placed on the importance of integrating social care with NHS services to enable efficient hospital discharges and enhance overall care. The potential of technology, particularly AI, was referred to on several occasions with regard to streamlining mundane tasks and improving productivity, fostering collaboration and innovation within a more community-centric NHS.

Oral Contributions:

House of Commons

Healthcare: Hampshire - 20th November 2024. Full transcript available here.

  • Dr Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat) spoke about the role of pharmacies in providing healthcare services in the local community and upcoming funding issues.

  • Andrew Gwynne (Labour) in his response outlined the role of the sector in alleviating GP pressure and the need to make better use of clinical skills in pharmacies.

House of Lords

National Insurance Contributions – 19th November 2024. Full transcript available here.

  • Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat) outlined that the cost to the pharmacy sector based on proposed changes to national insurance is roughly £50 million.

  • Baroness Merron (Labour) in her response noted that Labour appreciates the value that the sector will play in achieving one of the three shifts, hospital to community.

Written Questions:

There were 8 written questions relating to Pharmacy answered in the House of Commons and House of Lords this week. These can be viewed on Hansard here.

This week in Parliament w/c 11th November

Welcome back to the APPG on Pharmacy weekly Parliamentary update. Set out below is a summary of key parliamentary and policy developments in community pharmacy from the week just gone.

Key Parliamentary Activity

Spoken contributions:

National Insurance Contributions - Healthcare – 14th November 2024:

  • Mr Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat) – Spoke on the value of NHS directed services to delivering income to pharmacies, particularly in rural areas.

  • Dr Luke Evans (Conservative) – Addressed the financial burden on healthcare caused by the national insurance increase, despite promises of NHS funding, and called for clarity on exemptions and mitigation plans.

Written Questions:

There were written questions relating to Pharmacy answered in the House of Commons this week. These can be viewed on Hansard

House of Commons

This week in Parliament w/c 4th November

Welcome back to the APPG on Pharmacy weekly Parliamentary update. Set out below is a summary of key parliamentary and policy developments in community pharmacy from the week just gone.

Announcements

NHS 10 Year Health Plan - Working Groups

As had been widely anticipated, the Government confirmed this week that 11 working groups will be established to support the development of the final plan.

 Four of these have been designated as ‘vision’ working groups and have been tasked with considering the future vision for the NHS, organised around specific patient-centred themes. The other seven working groups have been given an ‘enabler’ designation, tasked with focusing on changes that are needed to ‘enable the vision to become a reality’.

Each group will be co-chaired by a representative from DHSC or NHS England and a representative from an external organisation.

As reported in the HSJ, the vision groups are expected to report to Wes Streeting by Christmas, with the enabler groups operating against a slightly longer lead-time, having been asked to conclude their work by February. Further details on the membership of each group and their terms of reference are expected to be published in December.

Groups relevant to pharmacy may include mobilising change, financing and contracting and the ‘vision’ group “I can access the high-quality and effective care I need, when and where I need it”.

Key Parliamentary Activity

Spoken contributions

Budget Resolutions – 6th November

  • Shockat Adam (Independent) spoke about funding crisis in professions such as dentistry, pharmacy and optometry and the role these services play in providing community-based healthcare.

Income Tax (Charge) – 5th November

  • Danny Beales (Labour) referenced the importance of ensuring that investment in the NHS, raised through taxation, reaches primary care and community pharmacy. Described community Pharmacy as “front door” of the NHS.

  • Sadik Al-Hassan (Labour) spoke about the importance of pharmacy and the role it will play in helping to rebuild the NHS.

Written Questions:

There were 5 written questions relating to Pharmacy answered in the House of Commons this week. These can be viewed on Hansard here.

House of Commons

The week in Parliament – w/c 28th October 2024

Welcome to the APPG on Pharmacy weekly Parliamentary update. Set out below is a summary of key parliamentary and policy developments in community pharmacy from the week just gone.

Announcements

Autumn budget 2024

On Wednesday (30th October), Rachel Reeves put investment in the NHS at the centre of Labour’s first Budget in 14 years as she promised to ‘fix the foundations and deliver change’.

Despite an additional £22.6 billion being promised for day-to-day healthcare spending, there were no specific commitments relating to funding uplifts for the community pharmacy sector.

Key announcements relating to healthcare included:

  • Support the delivery of Labour’s manifesto commitment to provide 40,000 extra appointments per week

  • Invest more than £2 billion in NHS technology and digital to ensure all trusts have access to electronic patient records, improve cyber security and enhance patient access through the NHS app

  • Upgrade over 200 GP surgeries across

  • Continue the delivery of the New Hospital Programme

  • Strengthen the UK’s pandemic preparedness and health protection

  • Open new mental health crises centres

  • Protect R&D budgets with a real terms increase in funding for the NIHR to support a revolution in research, life sciences and med-tech

  • £70 million for new radiotherapy machines

 Key Parliamentary Activity

Spoken contributions

NHS Winter Readiness – Wednesday 30th October 2024. Full transcript available here.

  • Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat, North Shropshire) outlined the critical role that pharmacists play in supporting patients in the community over the winter months.

  • Jim Shannon (DUP, Strangford) indicated the role for the PharmacyFirst scheme in alleviating pressures on the healthcare system in the coming months.

  • Dr Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat, Winchester) argued that pharmacies need more support in the coming months to ensure they can always provide benefit to the public, at all times.  

Written Questions:

There were 9 written questions relating to Pharmacy answered in the House of Commons this week. These can be viewed on Hansard here.

Answers were received from Ministers to the following questions: 

 

 

 

 

The week in Parliament w/c 21st October 2024

Welcome back to the APPG on Pharmacy weekly Parliamentary update. Set out below is a summary of key parliamentary and policy developments in community pharmacy from the week just gone.

Announcements

Government launches consultation on 10-Year Health Plan (here)

On Monday, the Government launched their consultation on the 10-Year Health Plan, inviting the public, NHS staff, and experts on the future of the health service.

  • The 10-Year Health Plan, to be published in spring 2025, emphasises a transition from hospital to community care, analogue to digital records, and a focus on prevention rather than merely treating sickness.

  • Key proposals include the creation of neighbourhood health centres, the integration of patient health records into a single digital system and exploring wearable tech to monitor and prevent illnesses.

  • The initiative seeks to involve NHS users and staff in identifying challenges and solutions, with a focus on ensuring equal and inclusive access to care for all communities.

  • The public engagement follows Lord Darzi's report highlighting the NHS's critical condition, aiming to rectify these issues through informed public and professional input.

Rt Hon Wes Streeting, The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, published a statement earlier in the week, in which he outlined:

“For decades, there has been broad consensus that to overcome the challenges facing the NHS, we must focus on providing more care in the community, so hospitals are able to treat the sickest patients, make better use of technology, and do more to prevent ill health. Despite this consensus, successive Governments have failed to deliver.”

Read the full statement here.

Key Parliamentary Activity

Written Questions:

There were 19 written questions relating to Pharmacy answered in the House of Commons this week. These can be viewed on Hansard here.

Answers were received from Ministers to the following questions: 

  • Rebecca Smith (Conservative) on the merits of extending prescribing powers within the health system

 

 

 

 

 

APPG on Pharmacy - Inaugural meeting - 10th September 2024

On Tuesday 10th September, the APPG on Pharmacy was reconvened at its inaugural meeting in the new Parliament. We’re delighted to announce that Steve Race MP, Labour MP for Exeter, was elected as Chair of the group, with Sadik Al-Hassan MP, Labour MP for North Somerset, Lord Scriven and Baroness Cumberlege elected as Officers for the Group.

The APPG will work to raise awareness of the challenges facing community pharmacy and promote pharmacies’ current and potential contributions to the health of the nation.

The week in Parliament – w/c 13th May 2024

Welcome to the APPG on Pharmacy weekly Parliamentary update. Set out below is a summary of key parliamentary and policy developments in community pharmacy from the week just gone. Where relevant, there is also an overview of any upcoming activity in the week ahead.

Announcements

Government to make medicines dispensing more efficient (13th May 2024)

On Monday 13th May, the Government announced the expected rollout of a 'hub and spoke' model for pharmacy dispensing, aimed at making medicine access and care faster and more efficient.

This model will allow smaller independent pharmacies to benefit from centralised dispensing previously available only to larger chains, with the intention of promoting a more level playing field.

It is hoped that these changes will free up pharmacists’ time to provide more face-to-face patient care, and in turn enhance services like Pharmacy First and contraception consultations. Subject to Parliamentary approval, all pharmacies will have an option of 2 hub and spoke models from 2025. Further information on the announcement can be found here.

Key Parliamentary Activity

Oral questions

Prime Minister’s Questions (15th May 2024)

Derek Thomas (Conservative, St Ives) asked the Prime Minister if he will do everything he can to ensure that funds are directed toward community pharmacy, so that pharmacies can help the Government to deliver NHS services where and when they are most needed.

The Prime Minister Rishi Sunak assured Mr Thomas that he cares deeply about the future of community pharmacies. In his response, he referred to the Pharmacy First initiative and how it will contribute to the Government’s plan to cut waiting lists and get people the care they need more quickly.

The full exchange can be found here.

Written Questions

Wes Streeting (Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care): To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate she has made of the number and proportion of prescriptions that were written by pharmacists in each of the last five years.

Andrea Leadsom (Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Health and Social Care): The National Health Service does not currently commission prescribing services from community pharmacists but pharmacists working in other NHS settings, including general practices, can prescribe on the NHS.

 The following table show the total number of items prescribed, the number of items prescribed by a pharmacist, and the percentage this equates to in terms of overall prescribing in England, in each of the last five years:

 Source: NHS Business Services Authority

The number of pharmacists that are independent prescribers is increasing. From 2026 all newly qualified pharmacists will be prescribers and we are upskilling the current workforce. NHS England are piloting services with varying models to evaluate how this could work in future clinical services in community pharmacy. In future, prescribing in community pharmacy has the potential to unlock more clinical services in community pharmacy, taking further pressure off general practice.

Conor McGinn (Independent, St Helens North): To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of pharmacy closures on the quality of primary care in St Helens constituency since 2019.

Andrea Leadsom (Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Health and Social Care): On 31 December 2023, there were 18 pharmacies in St Helens North constituency. Between 31 March 2019 and 31 December 2023, no pharmacies closed in St Helens North, and no new pharmacies opened. This year, there has been one closure in February 2024, as a result consolidation. Consolidation is a merger of two pharmacy businesses, and does not create a gap in the provision of pharmaceutical services.

Access to pharmaceutical services remains good, with 95% of the population of St Helens North living within a 20-minute walk from a pharmacy. This exceeds the national average of 80%. Residents of St Helens North can also access services from distance selling pharmacies that operate nationally.

It is the role of local authorities in England to undertake pharmaceutical needs assessments for their areas, every three years, to ensure provision continues to meet their population’s needs. Integrated care boards (ICBs) have regard to those assessments when commissioning services, and where a pharmacy closure impacts the access to services, a new contractor can apply to open a pharmacy in the area.

 

APPG Pharmacy Roundtable Event - 19th September 2023

The All-Party Pharmacy Group held an event in Parliament on the 19th of September where we were joined by representatives from across the pharmacy sector who were able to share with the APPG their experience, what they believe the most important challenges are to overcome and what some possible solutions would be.

 

On the day, we were joined by representatives from 11 organisations from the pharmacy sector:

  • Nick Kaye, Chair, National Pharmacy Association

  • Tase Oputu, England Pharmacy Board Chair, Royal Pharmaceutical Society

  • Malcolm Harrison, CEO, Company Chemists Association

  • Leyla Hannbeck, CEO, Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies

  • Ian Strachan,  Owner of Strachan’s Pharmacy Group, Board Member of AIMp

  • Claire Ward, Director of Public Affairs, Pharmacists’ Defence Association

  • Nathan Burley, President, Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists

  • Gisela Abbam, Chair, General Pharmaceutical Council

  • Shereen Nabhani, Co-chair of the Research Sub-committee, British Oncology Pharmacy Association, Associate Professor at Kingston University

  • Janet Morrison, Chief Executive, Community Pharmacy England

  • Elizabeth Ajayi, Executive Officer, British Pharmaceutical Students' Association

 

We were also joined by a number of parliamentarians who had the opportunity to discuss the challenges of the pharmacy sector with our invitees:

  • Taiwo Owatemi MP

  • Jackie Doyle-Price MP

  • Derek Thomas MP

  • Sir George Howarth MP

  • Marco Longhi MP

  • Peter Aldous MP

  • Peter Bottomley MP

  • Lord Haselhurst

  • Baroness Golding

 

The members of the APPG would like to thank the industry representatives and the parliamentarians who joined on the day for their support of the APPG and the pharmacy industry. We hope that the session was informative and that it offered the opportunity for a more united pharmacy sector.

10 Things About Pharmacy Drop-In Event - 5 July 2023

The All-Party Pharmacy Group hosted a drop-in event in Parliament on the 5th of June where we shared with the MPs and Peers who joined us 10 things about pharmacy not everyone knows.

 

Representatives of the pharmacy industry attended the event, sharing their experience with parliamentarians and discussing the struggles and challenges of pharmacies. The members of the APPG Pharmacy and the pharmacy representatives would like to extend their gratitude to the MPs and Peers who have made time in their schedules to attend the event.