Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if any community pharmacists assisted his Department in co-producing the upcoming Cardiovascular Disease Modern Framework.

Community pharmacy already plays an important role in cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention through the hypertension case finding service which offers free, walk-in blood pressure checks to over 40 year olds. Since October 2021, 40 pharmacies have delivered nearly 4.2 million blood pressure and ambulatory monitoring checks.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, community pharmacies will have a vital role in the Neighbourhood Health Service, working closely with other primary care providers at a neighbourhood level and delivering more clinical services.

NHS England continues to keep the clinical scope of pharmacy services under review. On Wednesday 25 February, the Department began the 2026/27 Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework consultation with Community Pharmacy England, to consider any proposed changes to the reimbursement and remuneration of pharmacy contractors in 2026/27. This includes reimbursement and remuneration for any current or proposed clinical services.

To support the Government’s ambition to reduce premature deaths from heart disease and stroke by 25% within a decade, we will publish a new cardiovascular disease Modern Service Framework (CVD MSF) this spring.

The Department and NHS England are engaging widely with stakeholders to co-produce the CVD MSF, ensuring that experts, people, and communities are at the heart of its development, and this has included engagement with the pharmacy sector.

The CVD MSF will focus on the interventions that will have the greatest impact on reducing premature mortality from heart disease and stroke, whilst supporting consistent, high quality and equitable care across the CVD pathway.