(1 month ago)
Lords ChamberTo ask His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to ensure that pharmacies are accessible to those living in rural areas.
My Lords, pharmacies are key to our plans to make healthcare fit for the future, as we shift healthcare out of hospitals and into the community. We will expand the role of pharmacies, including the introduction of prescribing services. People’s experiences of accessing pharmacies differ across the country; we will look closely at this. There are dispensing doctors in areas where pharmacies are not viable, and online pharmacies delivering medicines free of charge to patients.
I thank the noble Baroness for her response. However, analysis by the Independent Pharmacies Association has identified a £1.2 billion funding gap in this sector, which is leaving, in particular, pharmacies in rural and deprived areas very vulnerable indeed, at the very point when, as she said, we are looking for them to deliver more services. Given that 90% of their income comes from the NHS contracts and that most are unable to fill the funding gap through a retail outlet, what else can His Majesty’s Government do to ensure that we have adequate coverage in rural areas?
I take on board the point that the right reverend Prelate makes. The analysis to which he refers shines a light on the fact that funding for community pharmacies was either cut or held flat over the last eight years, which amounted to a funding cut in real terms of some 28%. We are seeing the result of that. It is also worth saying that the consultation with Community Pharmacy England on the national funding and contractual framework arrangements for 2024-25 was not concluded by the previous Government, so I can say to your Lordships’ House that we are looking at this as a matter of urgency. We look forward, through my colleague Minister Kinnock, to how community pharmacy can be best set to deliver on the ambitions that I have already outlined.