This week in Parliament w/c 24th February

Welcome back to the APPG on Pharmacy’s weekly Parliamentary update. Last week, the House of Commons was in recess, but we return with a host of written questions and spoken contributions. Set out below is a summary of key parliamentary and policy developments in community pharmacy from the week just gone.

Announcements

Health and Social Care Committee asks NHS Englandwhen the economic analysis of the community pharmacy sector will be complete - 27th February 2025

The Health and Social Care Committee has requested an update from NHS England on the completion and publication of the economic analysis of the community pharmacy sector in England. This analysis, commissioned as part of the 2022-24 contract, aims to uncover the full economic costs of delivering NHS pharmaceutical services. The committee’s inquiry comes amid ongoing contract negotiations and calls from pharmacy representatives for immediate publication of the review for transparency. NHS England has stated its commitment to publishing the report but cannot provide further details during ongoing consultations with Community Pharmacy England regarding funding arrangements for 2024/25 and 2025/26.

Key Parliamentary Activity

Oral Contributions

Public Services – Wednesday 26th February 2025 – Full transcript available here.

  • Dr Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat) spoke on the crucial role that community pharmacies face and highlighted the risk of reduced hours and temporary closures, particularly in rural regions.

National Insurance Contributions (House of Lords) – Tuesday 25th February – Full transcript available here.

  • Lord Livermore (Labour) spoke on the role of  community-based healthcare and acknowledged ongoing negotiations between DHSC and CPE on the 2024-25 and 2025-26 community pharmacy contractual framework

  • Baroness McIntosh (Conservative) spoke to the role of community pharmacies in providing a vital service for elderly and those who live in rural areas

  • Baroness Neville-Rolfe (Conservative) highlighted the impact that  a £250 million hike in business costs that pharmacists will face under the Government.

Written Questions:

There were 19  written questions relating to Pharmacy answered in the House of Commons  and House of Lords this week. These can all be viewed on Hansard here.