Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with community pharmacists on how that profession can (a) support GPs and (b) help relieve the pressures on GP waiting lists.

We are currently negotiating with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee on the expanded and additional services to be introduced in the fourth year of the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework. The Framework sets out the ambition for community pharmacy to be better integrated and provide more clinical services, such as treatment for minor illnesses, to relieve pressures elsewhere in the NHS.

A number of new clinical services have been introduced including the Community Pharmacist Consultation Service, where staff in general practices and NHS111 can refer patients to community pharmacies for advice and treatment of minor illnesses.