Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what projects have been supported by the 2016-18 budget of the Pharmacy Integration Fund.

The Pharmacy Integration Fund (PhIF) has been used to support the employment of pharmacists in integrated urgent care, general practice and care homes where their expert knowledge of medicines is helping to ensure the best care for patients. It has also been used to fund pilots of the supply of urgent medicines to patients without an appointment with a general practitioner (GP) and the referral to community pharmacy of patients calling NHS111, who present with minor illness. These programmes are aimed at utilising the skills of the community pharmacy teams to support the wider health service. The pilot urgent medicines supply service has alone in the first year saved 38,900 GP appointments. Underpinning these work streams the PhIF has, through Health Education England, funded the development of education and leadership programmes.