Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to support partnerships between (a) local pharmacies and (b) drug and alcohol support charities to deliver harm reduction services in (i) Fylde and (ii) Lancashire.

Many community pharmacies provide locally commissioned services aimed at reducing harm from the misuse of alcohol and drugs. This includes supervised consumption of opioid substitution treatment medicines like methadone, needle and syringe programmes, and naloxone provision. Pharmacies also provide free healthcare advice, public health interventions, and signposting to relevant organisations and services.

Local substance misuse services and community pharmacies should work together to help provide an effective service to people who use drugs and alcohol. This includes encouraging person-centred and trauma-informed treatment with shared decision-making.

In 2024, the Department published guidance for community pharmacies delivering substance misuse services. This outlined good practice for delivering safe and effective care and advice on joint working between services and commissioners and community pharmacies. This guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/community-pharmacy-delivering-substance-misuse-services/community-pharmacy-delivering-substance-misuse-services#multidisciplinary-team-and-joint-working

The Department is aware of the challenges in the ability of some community pharmacies to provide substance misuse services and has been supporting drug and alcohol treatment services to identify local solutions, including increased payment and some alternative models of provision of these services.

In addition to the Public Health Grant, in 2025/26, the Department is providing Lancashire with £10,424,106 to help improve drug and alcohol treatment and recovery systems. All funding is provided at the Lancashire level, and it is for Lancashire County Council to determine how to meet needs in Fylde. This funding can be used to support local community pharmacies and drug and alcohol support charities to deliver harm reduction services.