Source · Select Committees · Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation 14
14
Accepted
Paragraph: 91
Pharmacist capacity in community settings limits the expansion of clinical services.
Conclusion
It is clear that pharmacists are already struggling to find the time they need for consultations with patients in often busy community pharmacy environments with competing priorities, despite their ambition to do more. Future service expansion must be conscious of the capacity of pharmacists to deliver both existing services, and any planned expansions.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government will publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan this summer. It is also reforming pharmacist education and training, providing national funding to expand Designated Prescribing Practitioner capacity, funding training for Pharmacy Technician supervisors, and exploring MPharm student placement funding.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
91
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government · verbatim extract
Accepted
Accept. The pharmacy workforce should be viewed as one workforce at an integrated care system (ICS) level, and there is a growing demand in the NHS for clinical, patient-facing, accountable practitioners across all sectors. The refresh of the Long-Term Workforce Plan, due in the summer, will enable a longer-term view of pharmacy workforce. From 2025, training posts for trainee pharmacists may include rotations into another sector of practice, which will be further embedded in 2026. Rotations will support pharmacists to have a more holistic understanding of the patient journey and better equip them to work in multi-professional teams in a range of healthcare settings. Additional funding from NHS England Pharmacy Integration Fund since 2021 has ensured that registered pharmacy professionals can access further clinical training, including independent prescribing and clinical skills. Such training will help pharmacy professionals thrive in integrated multi-professional teams across community and primary care settings. These developments, along with wider reform of pharmacy education and training, respond to identified workforce need, supporting a flexible, integrated, multi-professional workforce, capable of confident, joined-up patient care. Accept. In line with the ICS People Function guidance (Report template – NHSI website (england.uk)), the role of pharmacy leadership within ICBs is clear. The development of a one pharmacy workforce approach, within the multidisciplinary team across local systems will be supported by national and regional coordination, planning data, and guidance. This is highlighted in the Darzi investigation reinforcing that the pharmacy workforce in general practice are not a substitute for GPs but are part of the whole primary care workforce to expand access. Regional and national coordination and support of the ICB pharmacy workforce function will also mitigate issues relating to the size of the workforces and imbalances of training providers and training places. We are continuing to explore how to best use the skill sets in community pharmacy as we continue to deliver Pharmacy First and look to introduce a pharmacist prescribing service in the future.
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