Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to recent trends in the number of community pharmacies closing, what his policy is on community pharmacy.

The Department is closely monitoring the market to identify and address issues that may impact patient access to pharmacy services. Access to National Health Service pharmaceutical services remains good: there are over 11,500 pharmacies in England, an increase of approximately 12% in the last decade.

In December 2016, as part of a wider package of reforms and to maintain access to NHS pharmaceutical services, the Government introduced the Pharmacy Access Scheme, which helps to support the financial viability of pharmacies in areas with fewer pharmacies.