Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on a transitional funding package for community pharmacists (a) before and (b) during the covid-19 outbreak.

In July 2019, we published our landmark five-year deal, ‘Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework’. This deal made £2.592 billion per year available to community pharmacy from 2019-20 to 2023-24. It was agreed in line with the Cabinet Office’s cross-Government collective agreement process.

The Department has had regular conversations with HM Treasury during the COVID-19 period about funding for community pharmacies. In addition to the unprecedented support package put in place for all businesses, further discussions are ongoing and we have agreed additional funding for a medicines delivery service for shielded patients and bank holiday openings.