Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made on the integration of community pharmacies into the NHS in (a) Bosworth constituency, (b) Leicestershire and (c) England.

The Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework 2019-24 (CPCF) five-year deal commits £2.592 billion each year to the sector. The deal sets out the vision for how community pharmacy will support the NHS Long Term Plan by being better integrated into the National Health Service, delivering more clinical services and becoming the first port of call for minor illness. A range of clinical services have been introduced under the deal including blood pressure checks and minor illness referrals from general practitioners and NHS 111 which can be delivered by all community pharmacies in England, Leicestershire and Bosworth.

In September 2022, we announced a £100 million investment into pharmacy for the remainder of the five-year deal. The agreement also includes new and expanded services in community pharmacy. We will enable community pharmacists across England to manage and initiate contraception and provide extra support for patients newly prescribed anti-depressants. Urgent and emergency care settings will be able to refer patients to a community pharmacist for a minor illness consultation or for an urgent medicine supply.