Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health of 20 December 2016, Official Report, what projects have been funded through the pharmacy integration fund to support improvements in (a) repeat prescriptions and (b) minor ailment services in England.

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 is helping to optimise the use of medicines and improve clinical effectiveness to deliver better outcomes for patients, including in respect to repeat prescriptions. They receive additional training enabling them to prescribe and have access to the full clinical record meaning they are well placed to support patients with complex polypharmacy and multiple co-morbidities. Alongside this, the NHS Urgent Medicines Supply Advanced Service has made it easier and faster for patients to access medication that they have previously been prescribed.

To further support and promote the use of pharmacies by patients with minor ailments, the Digital Minor Illness Referral Service is piloting new urgent care pathways to direct patients into community pharmacy from NHS 111 Online and the NHS 111 phone line. In parallel, Government continues to promote pharmacy as the first port of call for a wide range of minor health concerns through the “Stay Well Pharmacy” campaign.

Underpinning these work streams the PhIF is also funding training and leadership programmes which are also expected to drive improvements across these areas.