Welcome back to the APPG on Pharmacy weekly Parliamentary update. Set out below is a summary of key parliamentary and policy developments in community pharmacy from the week just gone.
Announcements
Government launches consultation on 10-Year Health Plan (here)
On Monday, the Government launched their consultation on the 10-Year Health Plan, inviting the public, NHS staff, and experts on the future of the health service.
The 10-Year Health Plan, to be published in spring 2025, emphasises a transition from hospital to community care, analogue to digital records, and a focus on prevention rather than merely treating sickness.
Key proposals include the creation of neighbourhood health centres, the integration of patient health records into a single digital system and exploring wearable tech to monitor and prevent illnesses.
The initiative seeks to involve NHS users and staff in identifying challenges and solutions, with a focus on ensuring equal and inclusive access to care for all communities.
The public engagement follows Lord Darzi's report highlighting the NHS's critical condition, aiming to rectify these issues through informed public and professional input.
Rt Hon Wes Streeting, The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, published a statement earlier in the week, in which he outlined:
“For decades, there has been broad consensus that to overcome the challenges facing the NHS, we must focus on providing more care in the community, so hospitals are able to treat the sickest patients, make better use of technology, and do more to prevent ill health. Despite this consensus, successive Governments have failed to deliver.”
Read the full statement here.
Key Parliamentary Activity
Written Questions:
There were 19 written questions relating to Pharmacy answered in the House of Commons this week. These can be viewed on Hansard here.
Answers were received from Ministers to the following questions:
Sir John Hayes (Conservative), Rebecca Smith (Conservative) and Lee Anderson (Reform) on local pharmacy closures
Dr Neil-Shastri Hurst (Conservative), Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat) and Rebecca Smith (Conservative) on support for community pharmacies
Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat) and Lee Anderson (Reform) on pharmacy funding
Rebecca Smith (Conservative) and Mark Sewards (Labour) on the Pharmacy First service
Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat), Jo Platt (Labour) Harriet Cross (Conservative) and Alex Easton (Independent) on medicine shortages
David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat) on medicine pricing
Rebecca Smith (Conservative) on the merits of extending prescribing powers within the health system