Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recommendation by The Royal Pharmaceutical Society to give pharmacists powers to switch patients to new medications without consulting their GPs in the event of drugs shortages after Brexit.

The Government has made no such assessment, although the National Health Service already utilises a range of flexibilities to enable patients to access medicines. We will continue to work with stakeholders as to how these flexibilities may be used further or whether we may need more.