Source · Select Committees · Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation 1
1
Acknowledged
Paragraph: 19
Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework is not fit for purpose, requiring urgent reform.
Conclusion
There is clearly something wrong if the funding that pharmacies receive from the NHS does not cover medicine costs, given their core function of dispensing medicines. The Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework is evidently not fit for purpose. It is overly complex and has contributed to the financial pressures that pharmacies are facing. Given the scale and timetable of the Government’s stated ambitions for the changing role of community pharmacy, the ways in which pharmacies are funded requires reform urgently to ensure they have the funding to deliver what will be expected of them.
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledged the need for reform and stated it is committed to working with the sector. NHS England is currently undertaking an economic analysis of the community pharmacy sector, which will inform future proposals for funding and contractual arrangements.
Paragraph Reference:
19
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
The Committee raises an important point which the Government will take under consideration. The Darzi review acknowledged the challenges faced by community pharmacies regarding funding and closures. It also identified the potential for a step change in the clinical role of pharmacists within the NHS such as in the treatment of common conditions. This Government inherited a system that has been neglected for too long making it difficult for pharmacists to deliver for patients. I am committed to working with the sector to achieve what we all want – a service fit for the future. NHS England are currently undertaking an economic analysis of the sector. This will inform future proposals for funding and contractual arrangements. The Government notes the Committee’s recommendations on the complexity of current arrangements and will take these into consideration in developing any future proposals for consultation with Community Pharmacy England. Further, the outcome of the engagement on the 10 Year Health Plan will be central to the Government’s health mission to fix the NHS, including making pharmacy services fit for the future. Medicine shortages