Press Release: APPG Pharmacy Medicines Shortages Survey

All Party Parliamentary Group on Pharmacy Launches Inquiry into Medicines Shortages

London, UK, 17th December 2024: The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Pharmacy has today announced the launch of an inquiry into the impact of medicines shortages in England, the contributing factors and potential solutions. As part of this inquiry, the APPG is today issuing a call for written evidence from key stakeholders across the healthcare sector.

This inquiry comes in response to the growing concerns surrounding medicines shortages and its impact on patient care in the UK, including pharmacy teams’ ability to dispense medicines in a timely way. The issue was highlighted in the Health and Social Care Select Committee's pharmacy inquiry report published prior to the general election, as well as more recently by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s  ‘Medicines shortages: Solutions for Empty Shelves’ report. The APPG aims to build on these findings and develop practical recommendations to address this ongoing challenge and its impact.

The written call for evidence is open to all those impacted by medicines shortages including pharmacists and pharmacy teams, GPs and prescribers, patient groups, professional organisations and medicines manufacturers and distributors.

Submissions will form a crucial part of the APPG's wider inquiry, which will also include oral evidence sessions scheduled for early next year.

Steve Race MP, Chair of the APPG on Pharmacy, emphasised the importance of this inquiry:

"Medicines shortages have become an increasingly pressing issue, significantly impacting patient care and placing immense strain on our healthcare system and in particular community pharmacies. Recent data shows that 20% of patients in England face difficulties accessing their medicines due to supply chain shortages 1

“This inquiry is vital in understanding the full scope of the problem and, more importantly, in developing practical recommendations to Government to address medicines shortages and their impact. We urge all relevant parties to contribute their insights and experiences, as this will be instrumental in shaping the APPG’s inquiry and efforts to ensure patients can access the medicines they need when they need them."

Key areas the inquiry aims to address include:

  1. The root causes of medicines shortages

  2. The impact on patient care and health outcomes

  3. The strain on pharmacy teams and other healthcare professionals

  4. Potential solutions and policy recommendations

Submission Details:

About the APPG on Pharmacy: 

The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Pharmacy was established in December 1999. It aims to foster cross-party discussions on key issues affecting pharmacy, patients, and the NHS. The group works to highlight the importance of community led services and advocate for policies that support the community pharmacy sector.

All-Party Parliamentary Groups are informal groups of Members of both Houses with a common interest in particular issues. The views expressed in these webpages are those of the group. The All-Party Pharmacy Group receives financial support from: The Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies, the Company Chemists Association, the National Pharmacy Association, Community Pharmacy England and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. Secretariat functions are provided by M+F Health.

Media enquiry point:

This week in Parliament w/c 9th December

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

NHS Winter vaccine bookings surge following flu ‘tidal wave’ warning

Thousands more people in England booked their winter vaccines yesterday (Thursday) after the NHS warned of a “tidal wave” of flu and other seasonal viruses hitting hospitals. 

Key outtakes from the NHS England update include:

  • Thousands of people in England have booked their winter vaccines following an NHS warning about a surge in flu and other seasonal viruses.

  • Flu and COVID-19 vaccine bookings through the NHS national booking system more than doubled in one day, with a substantial increase in hospital cases leading to heightened demand for vaccines.

  • Eligible individuals are urged to book their vaccinations by 19 December at their local health service provider, including pharmacies.

  • The flu vaccine is crucial for preventing severe illness during the peak winter months and is offered in different forms based on age and medical conditions.

  • The NHS is also offering the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine for pregnant women from 28 weeks and older adults aged 75 to 79 for the first time.

Key Parliamentary Activity

Oral Contributions

There were no oral contribution relating to pharmacy in either House this week.

Written Questions:

There were 11  written questions mentioning Pharmacy answered in the House of Commons  and House of Lords this week. These can be viewed on Hansard here.

 

This week in Parliament w/c 2nd December

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.

Key Parliamentary Activity

Oral Contributions

National Insurance Contributions Bill – 3rd December 2024. Full transcript available here.

  • Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat) on the damage of employer national insurance hike harming essential services and small businesses, like pharmacies, while sparing big corporations.

  • Joe Robertson (Conservative) on the Budget's national insurance hike and lack of healthcare funding threatening essential services like GPs, pharmacies, hospices, and dentists, undermining the NHS and public services.

Topical Question – 3rd December 2024. Full transcript available here.

Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat): “Pharmacies provide frontline care, and without support, their viability and the accessible healthcare that they offer could be at risk. That will add pressure to an already strained national health service. Will the Chancellor reconsider and exempt community pharmacies from the increase? “

Primary care providers have yearly negotiations with the Department on what services they provide and what money they are entitled to. More broadly, the reason why we are, in the Budget, taking difficult decisions about national insurance and other matters is precisely to fund the NHS, so that we have the health service that our country needs and deserves.

Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat)  

Written Questions:

There were 15 written questions relating to Pharmacy answered in the House of Commons and House of Lords this week. These can be viewed on Hansard here.

This week in Parliament w/c 25th November

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.

Key Parliamentary Activity

Oral Contributions

World Aids Day - Wednesday 27th November 2024. Full transcript available here. 

  • Danny Beale (Uxbridge and South Ruislip) spoke on the value pharmacies in providing preventative medication, such as PrEP and ensuring availability in primary care settings. Crticised the current NHS system for siloing access . 

Written Questions:

There were 11 written questions relating to Pharmacy answered in the House of Commons  and House of Lords this week. These can be viewed on Hansard here.

This week in Parliament w/c 18th November

Welcome back to the APPG on Pharmacy weekly Parliamentary update. Set out below is a summary of key parliamentary developments in community pharmacy from the week just gone.

Key Parliamentary Activity

Health and Social Care Select Committee - Independent investigation of the NHS in England - Oral evidence - 20th November 2024. Full transcript available here.

On Wednesday morning, the Health and Social Care Select Committee held its first public session in the new parliamentary term. This session looked to question Lord Darzi on key issues identified from his recent report, the ’ Independent investigation of the NHS in England’.

The session examined key themes from Darzi's report, including the importance of Labour’s shift from hospital to community-based care in delivering wider health system ambitions.

Community pharmacies were highlighted as an untapped resource to alleviate GP pressures and improve preventative care. Specifically, Darzi stated pharmacies could provide both healthcare and wellbeing support, claiming this is an ‘opportunity missed’. He stated that community pharmacy could help to reduce the burden on GPs and community services, a role which was evident during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Emphasis was also placed on the importance of integrating social care with NHS services to enable efficient hospital discharges and enhance overall care. The potential of technology, particularly AI, was referred to on several occasions with regard to streamlining mundane tasks and improving productivity, fostering collaboration and innovation within a more community-centric NHS.

Oral Contributions:

House of Commons

Healthcare: Hampshire - 20th November 2024. Full transcript available here.

  • Dr Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat) spoke about the role of pharmacies in providing healthcare services in the local community and upcoming funding issues.

  • Andrew Gwynne (Labour) in his response outlined the role of the sector in alleviating GP pressure and the need to make better use of clinical skills in pharmacies.

House of Lords

National Insurance Contributions – 19th November 2024. Full transcript available here.

  • Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat) outlined that the cost to the pharmacy sector based on proposed changes to national insurance is roughly £50 million.

  • Baroness Merron (Labour) in her response noted that Labour appreciates the value that the sector will play in achieving one of the three shifts, hospital to community.

Written Questions:

There were 8 written questions relating to Pharmacy answered in the House of Commons and House of Lords this week. These can be viewed on Hansard here.

This week in Parliament w/c 11th November

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.

Key Parliamentary Activity

Spoken contributions:

National Insurance Contributions - Healthcare – 14th November 2024:

  • Mr Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat) – Spoke on the value of NHS directed services to delivering income to pharmacies, particularly in rural areas.

  • Dr Luke Evans (Conservative) – Addressed the financial burden on healthcare caused by the national insurance increase, despite promises of NHS funding, and called for clarity on exemptions and mitigation plans.

Written Questions:

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

House of Commons

This week in Parliament w/c 4th November

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

NHS 10 Year Health Plan - Working Groups

As had been widely anticipated, the Government confirmed this week that 11 working groups will be established to support the development of the final plan.

 Four of these have been designated as ‘vision’ working groups and have been tasked with considering the future vision for the NHS, organised around specific patient-centred themes. The other seven working groups have been given an ‘enabler’ designation, tasked with focusing on changes that are needed to ‘enable the vision to become a reality’.

Each group will be co-chaired by a representative from DHSC or NHS England and a representative from an external organisation.

As reported in the HSJ, the vision groups are expected to report to Wes Streeting by Christmas, with the enabler groups operating against a slightly longer lead-time, having been asked to conclude their work by February. Further details on the membership of each group and their terms of reference are expected to be published in December.

Groups relevant to pharmacy may include mobilising change, financing and contracting and the ‘vision’ group “I can access the high-quality and effective care I need, when and where I need it”.

Key Parliamentary Activity

Spoken contributions

Budget Resolutions – 6th November

  • Shockat Adam (Independent) spoke about funding crisis in professions such as dentistry, pharmacy and optometry and the role these services play in providing community-based healthcare.

Income Tax (Charge) – 5th November

  • Danny Beales (Labour) referenced the importance of ensuring that investment in the NHS, raised through taxation, reaches primary care and community pharmacy. Described community Pharmacy as “front door” of the NHS.

  • Sadik Al-Hassan (Labour) spoke about the importance of pharmacy and the role it will play in helping to rebuild the NHS.

Written Questions:

There were 5 written questions relating to Pharmacy answered in the House of Commons this week. These can be viewed on Hansard here.

House of Commons

The week in Parliament – w/c 28th October 2024

Welcome 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

Autumn budget 2024

On Wednesday (30th October), Rachel Reeves put investment in the NHS at the centre of Labour’s first Budget in 14 years as she promised to ‘fix the foundations and deliver change’.

Despite an additional £22.6 billion being promised for day-to-day healthcare spending, there were no specific commitments relating to funding uplifts for the community pharmacy sector.

Key announcements relating to healthcare included:

  • Support the delivery of Labour’s manifesto commitment to provide 40,000 extra appointments per week

  • Invest more than £2 billion in NHS technology and digital to ensure all trusts have access to electronic patient records, improve cyber security and enhance patient access through the NHS app

  • Upgrade over 200 GP surgeries across

  • Continue the delivery of the New Hospital Programme

  • Strengthen the UK’s pandemic preparedness and health protection

  • Open new mental health crises centres

  • Protect R&D budgets with a real terms increase in funding for the NIHR to support a revolution in research, life sciences and med-tech

  • £70 million for new radiotherapy machines

 Key Parliamentary Activity

Spoken contributions

NHS Winter Readiness – Wednesday 30th October 2024. Full transcript available here.

  • Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat, North Shropshire) outlined the critical role that pharmacists play in supporting patients in the community over the winter months.

  • Jim Shannon (DUP, Strangford) indicated the role for the PharmacyFirst scheme in alleviating pressures on the healthcare system in the coming months.

  • Dr Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat, Winchester) argued that pharmacies need more support in the coming months to ensure they can always provide benefit to the public, at all times.  

Written Questions:

There were 9 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: 

 

 

 

 

The week in Parliament w/c 21st October 2024

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: 

  • Rebecca Smith (Conservative) on the merits of extending prescribing powers within the health system

 

 

 

 

 

APPG on Pharmacy - Inaugural meeting - 10th September 2024

On Tuesday 10th September, the APPG on Pharmacy was reconvened at its inaugural meeting in the new Parliament. We’re delighted to announce that Steve Race MP, Labour MP for Exeter, was elected as Chair of the group, with Sadik Al-Hassan MP, Labour MP for North Somerset, Lord Scriven and Baroness Cumberlege elected as Officers for the Group.

The APPG will work to raise awareness of the challenges facing community pharmacy and promote pharmacies’ current and potential contributions to the health of the nation.