Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of covid-19 on levels of demand on pharmacies.

We are working closely with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) and NHS England and NHS Improvement to ensure that community pharmacies get the support they need to help their communities stay well and to treat those with minor illness.

We are working to reprioritise the services commissioned by the National Health Service and offered by community pharmacy. Our aim is that the services most important in supporting patients at this time will continue and others will be suspended to increase capacity. We are also working with the General Pharmaceutical Council to increase the workforce available.

We have provided all community pharmacies with personal protective equipment and are issuing regular guidance. Where additional services are commissioned from community pharmacy to support patients, we will work with the PSNC to ensure that community pharmacy is fairly recompensed as well as supporting those businesses that may have to temporarily close.