Source · Select Committees · Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation 17
17
Accepted
Paragraph: 98
Commit to ongoing promotion of Pharmacy First to enhance public confidence and education.
Recommendation
As well as addressing medicine shortages and broadening pharmacists’ ability to offer alternatives, to support public confidence and education, the Government should commit to the ongoing promotion of Pharmacy First beyond what has already been announced.
Government Response Summary
The government will publish a refreshed Long-Term Workforce Plan and is implementing strategies to integrate the pharmacy workforce across Integrated Care Systems. This includes introducing rotations for trainee pharmacists from 2025/26 and providing additional funding for clinical training, including independent prescribing.
Paragraph Reference:
98
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
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.