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 continuity of access to prescription medicines in towns where a single operator pharmacy fails to meet its contractual obligations.

National Health Service pharmaceutical services, the staff who provide them, and the community pharmacies from which they are delivered are regulated. The entire system is laid out in legislation and is subject to assurance and inspection by both integrated care boards (ICBs) and the General Pharmaceutical Council.

ICBs are responsible for monitoring that contractors are adhering to their NHS terms of service, investigating and acting in cases of non-compliance. ICBs are also responsible for determining applications for new pharmacies including changes of ownership. The legislative framework is under constant review and is updated as required.

The Department does not make assessments of the suitability of individual pharmacy contractors. The Department also does not engage directly with individual pharmacy contractors to discuss matters like unpaid staff or suppliers.