Pharmacy: Coronavirus

(asked on 20th May 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the additional funding needs of the community pharmacy sector during the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.


Answered by
Jo Churchill Portrait
Jo Churchill
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This question was answered on 8th June 2020

The Government has put in place an unprecedented financial package, providing support to all businesses, including community pharmacies, such as tax deferrals and cash grants of up to £25,000 for small businesses. Due to the specific pressures faced by community pharmacy, we have made available £350 million in extra advance payments to alleviate cash flow pressures. Additional community pharmacy funding has been provided to cover the costs of Bank Holiday opening, the new medicine delivery service for shielded patients, and to contribute to measures taken by community pharmacy to support social distancing. From June, there was also an increase of £15 million per month to reimbursement prices of the most commonly prescribed generic medicines.

We continue to work with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) and NHS England and NHS Improvement to examine what further funding community pharmacy may require to continue to supply medicines and to help their communities stay well.

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