Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure patients can collect prescriptions in a timely manner (a) on bank holidays, (b) on weekends and (c) in general.

Local authorities are required to undertake pharmaceutical needs assessment (PNA) every three years to assess whether their population is adequately served by local pharmacies. Access to community pharmacies during weekdays, evenings, and the weekend is considered as part of these assessments. If a PNA identifies any gaps in the provision of essential services either within or outside normal working hours, or a need for improvement or better access, contractors can apply to meet this need.

Integrated care boards (ICBs), as the commissioners of primary care services, give regard to PNAs when commissioning and planning local service provision. ICBs have various tools at their disposal to ensure patients can access medicines through local pharmacies, including commissioning extended pharmacy opening hours and maintaining a rota, directing and funding local pharmacies to open during bank holidays.

Patients can also choose to access medicines and pharmacy services through any of the over 400 National Health Service online pharmacies that are contractually required to deliver prescription medicines free of charge to patients’ homes.