Commenting on the Health Select Committee Expert Panel report on its Inquiry into Pharmacy, James Davies, Director for England at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society said:

 “The Inquiry report makes compelling reading and is a wake-up call for the Government, highlighting that improvement is required to meet many of its commitments to patients through pharmacy. 

 “In particular, the report highlights the recurrent theme of inadequate funding to support the government's ambitions. 

 “Due to their prime location in communities, and pressures on other NHS services, demand for community pharmacy services has increased significantly. However, many are struggling to deliver services, or even to remain open, within the existing funding. These services are especially vital in deprived areas, where people often face multiple health conditions compared to affluent areas. 

“The current funding model for community pharmacy does not support the most disadvantaged in society. Recent analysis of pharmacy closures shows that there were more than five times as many closures in health-deprived areas compared with the number of closures in the least deprived areas.

 “Poor digital maturity and lack of investment within Hospital Trusts and community pharmacies have further hampered progress. Outdated paper prescribing is still the norm in too many settings and the lack of integration and ability for IT systems used in community pharmacy and hospital pharmacy to exchange and make use of information holds back further progress in removing prescribing errors and improving patient care.  

“Pharmacists in the community urgently need to have access to patients’ full medical notes, and the ability to amend their record once they have treated them, to improve care and communication across the system. This is particularly urgent given the new services for treating common conditions which will be implemented next year.

“Pharmacies are still lumbered with an absurd prescription charging system which is effectively a tax on the sick. Efforts to encourage patients with minor illnesses to be treated by their pharmacy team will be hampered if those hit by the cost of living crisis, or who are already exempt from charges, are asked to pay for over-the-counter medication as they will end up returning to their GP to ask for a free prescription instead. We want to see prescription charges abolished for people with long-term conditions in England, making medicines free to access like in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.”