Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to formally recognise the contribution of community pharmacies to (a) NHS service delivery and (b) public health outcomes.

This Government has repeatedly publicly recognised the valuable contribution to the National Health Service that community pharmacy makes as an easily accessible ‘front door’ to the NHS, delivering a range of clinical services, providing access to medicine and supporting a range of public health outcomes.

That is why we agreed to increase the community pharmacy contractual framework by £617 million across 2024/25 and 2025/26. This deal represents the largest uplift in funding of any part of the NHS, over 19% across 2024/25 and 2025/26, showing a commitment to rebuilding the sector.

We have further recognised, in our 10-Year Health Plan, that we can better use the skills of community pharmacy teams by expanding the services they offer and ensuring their vital role is recognised as we develop Neighbourhood Health Services helping to deliver the shift of care from hospitals into the community.