Written Evidence Apr. 24 2024
Inquiry: NHS leadership, performance and patient safetyFound: Pharmacy system leadership 2.Pharmacists play a vital role in supporting medicines optimisation –
Written Evidence Apr. 24 2024
Inquiry: NHS leadership, performance and patient safetyFound: We note that primary care providers (including dentists and community pharmacy) are not included in
Mentions:
1: None This includes an additional 36,523 direct patient care staff, such as pharmacy technicians and physician - Speech Link
2: None We have also expanded community pharmacy, with the introduction of Pharmacy First, underpinned by £645 - Speech Link
Report Apr. 24 2024
Committee: Public Accounts CommitteeFound: State Pension HC 654 34th Local Government Finance System: Overview and Challenges HC 646 35th The pharmacy
Apr. 23 2024
Source Page: Class 3 Medicines Recall: Neon Healthcare Ltd, Suprefact 1 mg/ml solution for injection (Cheplapharm – Canadian Livery), EL(24)A/14Found: Page 1 of 2 M E D I C I N E S R E C A L L CLASS 3 MEDICINES RECALL Action Within 5 Days Pharmacy
Apr. 23 2024
Source Page: Cass Review and Gender Identity HealthcareFound: team within the Office of the Chief Medical Officer in the Scottish Government, including paediatric, pharmacy
Mentions:
1: Andrew Stephenson (Con - Pendle) We need to continue to work with programmes such as Pharmacy First, and we are taking other steps to - Speech Link
2: Andrea Leadsom (Con - South Northamptonshire) that the actual resources in GP practice are increasing, with specialisms such as physiotherapy and pharmacy - Speech Link
3: Andrea Leadsom (Con - South Northamptonshire) Our primary care recovery plan enhances GP access by expanding community pharmacy services nationwide - Speech Link
4: Kerry McCarthy (Lab - Bristol East) in Fishponds have been told that it is over an hour’s wait for prescription medication at the local pharmacy—and - Speech Link
Mentions:
1: Minto, Jenni (SNP - Argyll and Bute) the office of the chief medical officer in the Scottish Government—including people with paediatric, pharmacy - Speech Link
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the new Living Wage rate on community pharmacies.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Pharmacy First was launched on 31 January 2024, and as the service embeds, we will monitor and evaluate the service and keep the conditions covered by Pharmacy First under review, but it is too early to consider expanding the clinical pathways.
In the Delivery plan for recovering access to primary care, we estimated that Pharmacy First, together with the expanded blood pressure check and contraception service, once fully scaled, could remove up to 10 million general practice (GP) appointments. We are monitoring the number of Pharmacy First consultations in community pharmacy but it is not possible to monitor the number of GP appointments Pharmacy First frees up. However, we know that Pharmacy First will enable GPs to see patients with more complex needs quicker.
Since 2019, GPs and their teams have already been referring patients to community pharmacies for minor illnesses and Pharmacy First builds on this. NHS England has engaged with GPs during the development and launch of Pharmacy First and Community Pharmacy England has launched a dedicated website for GPs supporting them with Pharmacy First referrals.
Pharmacies are not paid an establishment grant. Contractors who have signed up to deliver Pharmacy First received a £2,000 set-up fee, they receive £15 per consultation and £1,000 for each month they reach an agreed minimum number of consultations. Funding for community pharmacies, including the funding for Pharmacy First, is expected to pay for all their costs in providing the service. There are no delays to Pharmacy First payments. All payments are made in line with the usual schedule of payments.
The statutory National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage is based on advice of the Low Pay Commission, which takes into account the impact on business and the wider economy, as well as the living standards of workers.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to tackle delays to payments to community pharmacies operating Pharmacy First.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Pharmacy First was launched on 31 January 2024, and as the service embeds, we will monitor and evaluate the service and keep the conditions covered by Pharmacy First under review, but it is too early to consider expanding the clinical pathways.
In the Delivery plan for recovering access to primary care, we estimated that Pharmacy First, together with the expanded blood pressure check and contraception service, once fully scaled, could remove up to 10 million general practice (GP) appointments. We are monitoring the number of Pharmacy First consultations in community pharmacy but it is not possible to monitor the number of GP appointments Pharmacy First frees up. However, we know that Pharmacy First will enable GPs to see patients with more complex needs quicker.
Since 2019, GPs and their teams have already been referring patients to community pharmacies for minor illnesses and Pharmacy First builds on this. NHS England has engaged with GPs during the development and launch of Pharmacy First and Community Pharmacy England has launched a dedicated website for GPs supporting them with Pharmacy First referrals.
Pharmacies are not paid an establishment grant. Contractors who have signed up to deliver Pharmacy First received a £2,000 set-up fee, they receive £15 per consultation and £1,000 for each month they reach an agreed minimum number of consultations. Funding for community pharmacies, including the funding for Pharmacy First, is expected to pay for all their costs in providing the service. There are no delays to Pharmacy First payments. All payments are made in line with the usual schedule of payments.
The statutory National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage is based on advice of the Low Pay Commission, which takes into account the impact on business and the wider economy, as well as the living standards of workers.