This week in Parliament w/c 10th February

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

On Monday 10th February, the APPG on Pharmacy held an oral evidence session as part of its ongoing inquiry into medicine shortages.

We’d like to thank Mark Dayan (Policy Analyst and Head of Public Affairs Nuffield Trust), Gila Sacks (Medicines Director, Department for Health and Social Care), Martin Sawer (Executive Director, Healthcare Distribution Association UK), Mark Samuels (Chief Executive, British Generics Manufacturing Association) and Colette Marshall (Chief Executive, Diabetes UK) for their contributions to the panel.

Panellists discussed issues and solutions regarding regulatory barriers, system readiness and the merits of national stock monitoring.

The outputs from the meeting, along with findings from the written call for evidence, will inform the APPG’s forthcoming report. Information on anticipated publication timelines will be published in due course.

Key Parliamentary Activity

Oral Contributions

HIV Testing Week – 13th February 2025 – Full transcript available here.

  • David Mundell (Conservative) and Mr Alex Barros-Curtis (Labour) on PrEP access issues in high street pharmacies.

Written Questions:

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

This week in Parliament w/c 3 February 2025

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.

As part of the APPG on Pharmacy’s ongoing inquiry into medicine shortages, the Group will be hosting an oral evidence session on Monday 10th February. Outputs from the meeting will be shared on the website in due course.

Key Parliamentary Activity

Oral Contributions

Closure of High Street Services: Rural Areas - Wednesday 5th February – Full transcript available here.

  • James Naish (Labour) spoke on the importance of high street pharmacies in rural areas in delivering care and highlighted the role of Pharmacy First.

National Insurance Contributions  Bill House of Lords – Tuesday 4th February – Full transcript available here:

  • Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat) spoke on the issues facing community pharmacy and the detrimental impact that the proposed national insurance contribution changes will have.

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.

  • Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat) on pharmacy staffing retention

  • Dr Luke Evans (Conservative) on Departmental meetings with Pharmacy industry bodies

  • Dr Luke Evans (Conservative)  on community pharmacy contractual framework negotiations

  • Baroness Bennet (Green Party) and Nick Timothy (Conservative) on medicines access

  • Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party) on National Insurance impacts on pharmacies in Northern Ireland

  • Liam Byrne (Labour) on local funding allocations

This week in Parliament w/c 20th January 2025

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.

The APPG’s inquiry into medicines shortages will close this evening. Updates will be posted on the APPG website and social media accounts in due course.

Key Parliamentary Activity

Oral Contributions

National Insurance Contributions Bill – House of Lords – 21st January 2025. Full transcript here.

  • Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat) on the implications of national insurance contribution increases on community healthcare, noting the additional cost of £12,000 per pharmacy annually.

  • Lord Randall (Conservative) agreed the potentially ‘devastating’ impacts of the rise in national insurance contributions were not fully appreciated by Governments.

Welfare of Doctors – Westminster Hall – 21st January 2025. Full transcript here.

  • Dr Peter Prinsley (Labour) addressed the ‘broken’ NHS and the impact this was having on general practice, dentistry and pharmacy.

 Written Questions:

There were 2  written questions relating to Pharmacy answered in the House of Commons  and House of Lords this week. These can be viewed on Hansard here.

  • Dr Luke Evans (Conservative) on Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework negotiations

  • Mike Amesbury (Independent) on medicines cost and impact on pharmacies

This week in Parliament w/c 13th January

Welcome back to the APPG on Pharmacy’s weekly Parliamentary update note. 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

Health and Social Care: Winter Update – 15th January 2025 - Full transcript here.

  • Wes Streeting (Labour) encouraged people to get vaccinated for flu, covid-19 and RSV and that appointments can be booked through local GPs or pharmacies.

Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency – 16th January 2025 - Full transcript available here.

  • Dr Luke Evans (Conservative) spoke on the role of the MHRA in regulating and promotion of medicines in the UK. Dr Evans noted the impact of online advertisement on medicine availability, noting the recent issues with diabetes medication and GLP1 inhibitors.

Written Questions:

There were 3  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 6th January

Welcome back to the first APPG on Pharmacy weekly Parliamentary update of 2025. Set out below is a summary of key parliamentary and policy developments in community pharmacy from the week just gone.

Key Parliamentary Activity

Announcements

Government response: Health and Social Care Select Committee report into Pharmacy

On Friday 10th January, the Health and Social Care Committee published the Government’s response to the predecessor committee’s report on Pharmacy and has written back to the Minister of State for Care, Stephen Kinnock, to follow up on particular issues raised in the report and response.

The report, which was published prior to the general election outlined that  the Government must urgently reform the funding framework for community pharmacy if more clinical services are to be delivered and increasing demands for medication are to be met. The report also outlined the Government to address medicine shortages, which they warned risked undermining initiatives such as Pharmacy First by eroding public confidence in pharmacists. 

In its response, the Government set out the following as ambitions:

  1. Pharmacy as a Priority: Despite the report being for the previous government, the current Government will prioritise pharmacy services and aim to address long-standing issues.

  2. 10 Year Health Plan: Following Lord Darzi's investigation, a 10 Year Health Plan engagement exercise has been launched to reform the NHS, focusing on moving healthcare from hospitals to the community, transitioning from analogue to digital, and shifting from sickness to prevention.

  3. Expanding Pharmacy Roles: The government is committed to expanding the roles of pharmacies and better utilising the skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. A refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan will be published in the summer to support this transformation.

  4. Support for Pharmacy First: The government supports the Pharmacy First program and aims to build on it to shift care from hospitals to the community and from treatment to prevention.

In response, the Chair of the Health and Social Care Committee, Layla Moran stated: “We agree with our predecessor Committee that pharmacies have fantastic potential to improve access to healthcare and alleviate pressures on the wider health service. We would urge the Government to be bold and ambitious when setting out its vision for the role that community pharmacies could play and believe that they should play a prominent role in the delivery of the Government’s ambition to shift care from hospitals into the community.”

Further information can be found here.

Contributions

Oral Contributions

Business of the House - Thursday 9 January – Full transcript here.

Marie Goldman (Liberal Democrat) addressed the concerns about the long-term viability and sustainability of pharmacy, noting Pharmacy First, funding constraints and medicines access issues.

Engagements -  Wednesday 8 January – Full transcript here.

Marie Goldman (Liberal Democrat) raised issue of her constituent who is struggling to keep his pharmacy open and using personal savings to meet price demands and maintain service.

Topical Questions – Tuesday 7 January 2025 – Full transcript here.

Tristan Osborne (Labour) asked the Minster for Care whether there were plans to review and expand the Pharmacy First scheme.

Written Questions:

There were 13  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 16th December 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. The House of Commons is now in recess until 6th January 2025.

Key Parliamentary Activity

Oral Contributions

Winter Preparedness – 18th December 2024 – Full transcript available here.

Lalya Moran (Lib Dem) spoke on the role of pharmacies in providing community health services and the need for greater push for GP referrals.

Lincoln Jopp (Conservative) referenced the cost of winter vaccinations

Mike Martin (Lib Dem) addressed the role that pharmacies play in providing community-based health services

Community Pharmacies: Devon and the South-west – 17th December 2024 - Full transcript available here.

  • Numerous contributions, including from Chair of the APPG on Pharmacy, Steve Race MP, regarding the merits of pharmacy in supporting patients with a range of services and Vice-chair, Sadik Al-Hassan MP, on the critical role of community pharmacies, the challenges they face due to funding cuts and Brexit, and calls for immediate funding and reforms to stabilse and modernise the sector.

Written Questions:

There were 7 written questions relating to Pharmacy answered in the House of Commons  and House of Lords this week. These can be viewed on Hansard here:

APPG on Pharmacy - Meeting - 17th December 2024

On Tuesday 17th December 2024, we held the first of two meetings on the ‘Future of Community Pharmacy’.

Our Chair, Steve Race MP, Vice-Chairs, Sadik Al-Hassan MP and Lord Scriven, as well as members of the Group heard from Rebecca Curtayne (External Affairs Manager Healthwatch), Alex Morton (Group Director for Primary Care & Community Services Delivery and Support, NHS England), Dr Ankit Kant (Member, General Practitioners Committee England, British Medical Association (BMA)) at the meeting.

The outputs from this meeting will feed into the development of a recommendations led policy paper, setting out a vision for community pharmacy. This paper will be published following the second meeting on this topic in the new year.


Press Release: APPG Pharmacy Medicines Shortages Survey

All Party Parliamentary Group on Pharmacy Launches Inquiry into Medicines Shortages

London, UK, 17th December 2024: The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Pharmacy has today announced the launch of an inquiry into the impact of medicines shortages in England, the contributing factors and potential solutions. As part of this inquiry, the APPG is today issuing a call for written evidence from key stakeholders across the healthcare sector.

This inquiry comes in response to the growing concerns surrounding medicines shortages and its impact on patient care in the UK, including pharmacy teams’ ability to dispense medicines in a timely way. The issue was highlighted in the Health and Social Care Select Committee's pharmacy inquiry report published prior to the general election, as well as more recently by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s  ‘Medicines shortages: Solutions for Empty Shelves’ report. The APPG aims to build on these findings and develop practical recommendations to address this ongoing challenge and its impact.

The written call for evidence is open to all those impacted by medicines shortages including pharmacists and pharmacy teams, GPs and prescribers, patient groups, professional organisations and medicines manufacturers and distributors.

Submissions will form a crucial part of the APPG's wider inquiry, which will also include oral evidence sessions scheduled for early next year.

Steve Race MP, Chair of the APPG on Pharmacy, emphasised the importance of this inquiry:

"Medicines shortages have become an increasingly pressing issue, significantly impacting patient care and placing immense strain on our healthcare system and in particular community pharmacies. Recent data shows that 20% of patients in England face difficulties accessing their medicines due to supply chain shortages 1

“This inquiry is vital in understanding the full scope of the problem and, more importantly, in developing practical recommendations to Government to address medicines shortages and their impact. We urge all relevant parties to contribute their insights and experiences, as this will be instrumental in shaping the APPG’s inquiry and efforts to ensure patients can access the medicines they need when they need them."

Key areas the inquiry aims to address include:

  1. The root causes of medicines shortages

  2. The impact on patient care and health outcomes

  3. The strain on pharmacy teams and other healthcare professionals

  4. Potential solutions and policy recommendations

Submission Details:

About the APPG on Pharmacy: 

The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Pharmacy was established in December 1999. It aims to foster cross-party discussions on key issues affecting pharmacy, patients, and the NHS. The group works to highlight the importance of community led services and advocate for policies that support the community pharmacy sector.

All-Party Parliamentary Groups are informal groups of Members of both Houses with a common interest in particular issues. The views expressed in these webpages are those of the group. The All-Party Pharmacy Group receives financial support from: The Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies, the Company Chemists Association, the National Pharmacy Association, Community Pharmacy England and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. Secretariat functions are provided by M+F Health.

Media enquiry point:

This week in Parliament w/c 9th December

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 Winter vaccine bookings surge following flu ‘tidal wave’ warning

Thousands more people in England booked their winter vaccines yesterday (Thursday) after the NHS warned of a “tidal wave” of flu and other seasonal viruses hitting hospitals. 

Key outtakes from the NHS England update include:

  • Thousands of people in England have booked their winter vaccines following an NHS warning about a surge in flu and other seasonal viruses.

  • Flu and COVID-19 vaccine bookings through the NHS national booking system more than doubled in one day, with a substantial increase in hospital cases leading to heightened demand for vaccines.

  • Eligible individuals are urged to book their vaccinations by 19 December at their local health service provider, including pharmacies.

  • The flu vaccine is crucial for preventing severe illness during the peak winter months and is offered in different forms based on age and medical conditions.

  • The NHS is also offering the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine for pregnant women from 28 weeks and older adults aged 75 to 79 for the first time.

Key Parliamentary Activity

Oral Contributions

There were no oral contribution relating to pharmacy in either House this week.

Written Questions:

There were 11  written questions mentioning 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 2nd December

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

National Insurance Contributions Bill – 3rd December 2024. Full transcript available here.

  • Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat) on the damage of employer national insurance hike harming essential services and small businesses, like pharmacies, while sparing big corporations.

  • Joe Robertson (Conservative) on the Budget's national insurance hike and lack of healthcare funding threatening essential services like GPs, pharmacies, hospices, and dentists, undermining the NHS and public services.

Topical Question – 3rd December 2024. Full transcript available here.

Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat): “Pharmacies provide frontline care, and without support, their viability and the accessible healthcare that they offer could be at risk. That will add pressure to an already strained national health service. Will the Chancellor reconsider and exempt community pharmacies from the increase? “

Primary care providers have yearly negotiations with the Department on what services they provide and what money they are entitled to. More broadly, the reason why we are, in the Budget, taking difficult decisions about national insurance and other matters is precisely to fund the NHS, so that we have the health service that our country needs and deserves.

Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat)  

Written Questions:

There were 15 written questions relating to Pharmacy answered in the House of Commons and House of Lords this week. These can be viewed on Hansard here.