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All Party Parliamentary Group on Pharmacy Launches Inquiry into Medicines Shortages
The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Pharmacy has 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 has issued 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 APPG is aiming to 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.
Submission Details:
Deadline: Friday, 24th January 2025
How to Submit: All-Party Parliamentary Group on Pharmacy - Call for written evidence on medicines shortages
Enquiries: PharmacyAPPG@mandfhealth.com
Recent Contributions
APPG Chair, Steve Race MP, discussing the role of community pharmacy in supporting the ambitions of the NHS
“ I am the chair of the all-party parliamentary group on pharmacy. Does she agree that community pharmacies have a huge amount of potential to support patients with a range of services, which will support the NHS ten-year plan to move more care into the community and help prevent ill health in the first place? That is one of the main roles they can play in the future.”
APPG Vice-Chair, Sadik Al-Hassan MP, speaking in Westminster Hall debate on pharmacy services in the south west.
“The prescription for pharmacy is an immediate funding settlement for this year to stabilise the sector with a sticking plaster while we look at the longer-term changes the industry needs. Having been on the ground for the past 20 years, I am here to say that pharmacy has cut every ounce of fat that can be cut, and all that is left is bone. Without advancing the modernisation agenda, the sector has no more efficiencies to make. For that to happen, we need the Government to commit to implementing the hub-and-spoke model to increase capacity, and to expanding Pharmacy First to use that capacity. ”
Lord Scriven, Vice-Chair of the APPG on Pharmacy, speaking on the impact of national insurance changes on community pharmacies. (November 2024).
“My Lords, the net cost to the already struggling community pharmacy sector from the national insurance changes is roughly £50 million. One community pharmacist told me last week that this means that they either reduce services to patients by closing for the equivalent of one day a week or make one and a half members of staff redundant”
Pharmacy in Parliament
Taiwo Owatemi MP, Former Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Pharmacy Group at the Westminster Hall debate, Prescription Charges: People Aged 60 or Over (6 March 2023)
““As a trained pharmacist, I know that the sector is crying out for more responsibilities to become the first port of call for patients who need advice and treatment. That would help to rebalance the workload across primary care, bring healthcare back into the community, reduce the pressures on GPs and hospitals and deliver healthcare that is much more prevention focused. Any plan for the future of pharmacy must ensure that all pharmacists have adequate access to supervision and training, along with clear structures for professional career development into advanced and consultant-level practice to help to deliver this. That way, community pharmacists can play a much larger and more effective role in delivering healthcare.””
Lord Kamall, Minister for Technology, Innovation and Life Sciences, on community pharmacies and their role in the future of primary care (28 June 2022)
Sir George Howarth MP, Vice-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Pharmacy Group during Prime Minister's Questions (26 April 2023)
Baroness Cumberlege, Officer of the All-Party Parliamentary Pharmacy Group in the House of Lords debate on the Autumn Statement (29 November 2022)
Taiwo Owatemi MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Pharmacy Group at the Westminster Hall debate on community pharmacy (21 June 2022)
The Future of Pharmacy Manifesto
The APPG published the ‘Future of Pharmacy‘ Manifesto in which it makes six recommendations for unlocking the potential of local pharmacies and further improving patient outcomes, based on the views of over 1,500 pharmacy professionals.
“Pharmacies are not just a shop; they are a healthcare setting and should be treated as such. They are a crucial part of the NHS ecosystem. [...] Aside from covid, pharmacies are doing an incredible amount of work for their local communities every single day.”