Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) has launched two surveys to gather data on the pressures that people working in community pharmacies are facing.
Pharmacy teams have informed the negotiator about the ongoing financial and operational pressures and expressed concerns that these pressures could impact patients' care.
The surveys would give a snapshot of the problems faced by pharmacies and the results will be used in ongoing discussions with NHS England & NHS Improvement and the Department of Health and Social Care.
The results will also help PSNC to make pharmacy's case in conversations with the MPs, ministers and the national media.
The two separate surveys are for:
Pharmacy business owners/head office representatives - This survey covers the pressures faced by businesses, including financial and staffing pressures.
Pharmacy teams - It covers the day-to-day pressures experienced by pharmacy teams including supply chain issues, patient interactions/experience and staff morale.
Community Pharmacy England (CPE) to host a Parliamentary drop-in event in July to brief MPs and Peers about the ongoing medicines supply chain issues that
are negatively affecting pharmacies and their patients across the country.
CPE's Pressures Survey earlier this year highlighted the extent of both the operational and financial impacts of medicines supply issues on pharmacy businesses,
therefore it has continued to hear from both pharmacy owners and others about the problems.
The event aims to ensure that MPs understand the problems and their impact on pharmacies.
Peter Dowd MP is hosting the event, joined by representatives from Community Pharmacy England, the Nuffield Trust, patient groups and more.
The event will also be another opportunity to talk to MPs from across the political spectrum about the very serious situation that community pharmacies still find
themselves in and the need for further investment in the sector.
Janet Morrison OBE, Chief executive of Community Pharmacy England said: "The results of our Pressures Survey earlier this year showed just how much supply issues
are continuing to negatively impact pharmacy businesses and all those who work in them. The survey found that almost all pharmacy owners (97%) are facing
significant increases in wholesaler and medicine supply issues, with 71% saying this was leading to delays in prescriptions being issued.
"I dread the day, the accountant turns to me and says 'this isn't working' - as an owner, we shelter our patients and teams from the financial pressures
we feel on a daily basis," shares S.G Barai Pharmacy owner, Reena Barai.
Today, S.G Barai Pharmacy in Sutton, Surrey joined pharmacies nationwide in the #SaveOurPharmacies day of action, organised by the National Pharmacy Association
(NPA) to spotlight the critical funding crisis facing community pharmacies across the UK.
Recent figures reveal that over the past decade, more than 1,400 pharmacies have closed in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, with additional closures looming
in Scotland due to financial pressures.
The NPA reports that three-quarters of pharmacies are operating at a loss, exacerbated by real-terms cuts to funding.
"We turned our lights off and wore black today to symbolize the precarious situation pharmacies like ours are facing," said Reena Barai who owns the pharmacy.
The Community Pharmacy England Committee has adopted a new approach to engagement with sector by inviting all pharmacy owners to share their views on
pharmacy's finances, pressures and capacity ahead of its meeting in July.
It has sought views of pharmacists via short poll by Sunday (2 July) and will have a discussion on the poll results at the meeting before reporting back to the
sector afterwards.
The key focus for July Committee Meeting will be to make most of £645m for the community pharmacy sector, and also on the ongoing work to make the wider case for
more investment in the sector.
This new way of working follows association's rebrand on 30th May which signalled the start of its new approach to engagement to help them to build stronger
relationships with pharmacy owners.
The association hopes this new approach will help them better engage with members and listen to pharmacy's views better.
Community Pharmacy England (CPE) has cautioned that patients in the UK will continue to encounter difficulties in accessing medicines unless the government
addresses supply problems and resolves the critical financial state of community pharmacies.
CPE Chief Executive Janet Morrison and Mike Dent, Director of Pharmacy Funding, on Monday 19 February, gave evidence to the Health and Social Care Select
Committee's Pharmacy Inquiry, highlighting the impact of ongoing medicines supply issues on pharmacies and patients.
Morrison indicated that a combination of the ongoing "financial squeeze, operational pressures, and medicines supply and pricing issues" has left pharmacy
businesses fighting for survival.
"As the NHS continues to grapple with wider challenges, this is a battle that patients cannot afford for pharmacies to lose," she said.
Morrison warned that if pharmacies continue to close, not only business owners and pharmacy teams will suffer, but patients and local communities will also
face the consequences.
Community Pharmacy England (CPE) has explained MPs on instability that puts operational pressures on pharmacies, financial pressures on businesses at a
Parliamentary drop-in event held on Monday (10 July).
The association has been in Parliament today alongside patient representatives and others to highlight our ongoing concerns about medicines supply to MPs.
It said: "Medicines supply remains a critical issue for community pharmacies with disruption causing problems both accessing medicines and procuring them cost
effectively."
In CPE's recent sector polling, community pharmacy owners rated medicines supply instability as being the most severe pressure facing their businesses. This
echoed the results of CPE's Pressures Survey which found 97% of pharmacy owners survey are facing significant increases in wholesaler and medicine supply issues,
with 71% saying this was leading to delays in prescriptions being issued.
During the Parliamentary drop-in event, CPE talked MPs through the issues and set out what it believe needs to happen to resolve them, calling for- Reform of
Serious Shortage Protocols; Allowing generic substitution; An overhaul of the concessions system; and a strategic Government review of medicine supply and pricing
with a shift to focusing on how to improve the functioning of the supply chain rather than solely on the drive to depress prices and margins.
A report released by Community Pharmacy England (CPE) has warned that pharmacies across England are grappling with daily medicine supply challenges, posing
significant risks to patients' health.
The Pharmacy Pressures Survey 2024: Medicines Supply Report, which is based on the views of the owners of over 6,100 pharmacy premises in England and 2,000 pharmacy
team members, has exposed some alarming trends concerning medicine supply problems in the country.
Almost all pharmacy team members surveyed (97 per cent) reported patients being inconvenienced due to medicine supply issues, and 79 per cent of the participants
said that the worsening situation is putting patient health at risk.
Nearly all respondents reported patient frustration stemming from medicine supply issues, with 84 per cent of them saying they had experienced aggression from
patients.
Additionally, 98 per cent indicated an increase in 'owings,' where patients receive only part of their prescription and must return to the pharmacy for the
remaining medication(s) at a later time."
"Discussions must involve the government on behalf of NHS Scotland, CPS on behalf of the owners, and the PDA as the pharmacists' representative," it said.
The association believes that there is a need for discussion and decision-making that listens to and balances the rights and responsibilities of both employers
and workers, to generate benefits for individuals, organisations, and society.
It added: "Even though Scotland provides the most generous community pharmacy settlement in the UK, recent reports suggest it is not enough for pharmacy owners
with CPS's rejection of the latest funding proposal in May. Though the Scottish government found an extra £20M to ease pressures related to medicines price
increases, an overall agreement has still not been reached."
"The UK-wide chains may be doing less well in the parts of their networks covered by the Westminster government's contract, but the taxpayers and government of
Scotland need to be given reassurance that they are in no way subsidising funding shortfalls in England's pharmacy contract."
Recently, when LloydsPharmacy's Scotland branches recently came on the market, they appear to have been sold exclusively to existing contractors, including the
UK-wide multiple, Rowlands Pharmacy, who have acquired 30 of them. Other small and medium-sized Scottish pharmacy chains have apparently been able to double in
size overnight by acquiring branches.
Preet Kaur Gill, Shadow Minister for Primary Care and Public Health, has paid a recent visit to a community pharmacy in Staffordshire to personally experience
the services it provides to patients, while staying updated on the latest sector developments.
Her visit to Eason's Pharmacy in Tamworth on September 22nd marked her first since assuming new responsibilities for pharmacy policy matters within Labour's health
team. Gill was also joined by a member of the National Pharmacy Association staff.
The Minister received a comprehensive briefing on Eason's Pharmacy from its third-generation owner, Kieran Eason (R). He outlined the NHS services, which include
the New Medicines Service and blood pressure monitoring, and showcased two consultation rooms and an operational dispensary.
"It's great that Preet came to learn firsthand about the challenges we face and the substantial potential of community pharmacies nationwide," Eason said. "As an
independent prescriber, I have the expertise to provide even more convenient care, but the current funding levels severely limit our contribution."
The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has proposed a 7.5 per cent increase in all fees for pharmacies, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and foundation
trainees, including those for registration and renewal from April 2024.
According to the GPhC's proposal the pharmacist renewal fee would increase by £19 from £257 to £276; the pharmacy technician renewal fee would increase by £9 from
£121 to £130 and the pharmacy premises renewal fee would increase by £27 from £365 to £392
Any changes would be effective from April 2024, which means fees will remain at current levels for this financial year, giving registrants and applicants time to
prepare for any increase in subsequent years.
Fees have been frozen for the last two years (2022 and 2023) to help reduce pressure on both pharmacy professionals and pharmacy owners.
Chief Executive, Duncan Rudkin, said: "In the last few years, we have been able to avoid raising many of these fees by improving our efficiency and by using our
financial reserves to cover any gap between our income and our outgoings. While we are continuing to look for ways to make savings, we now have to consider
increasing fees.
Patients are highly satisfied with the new Pharmacy First service, which enables pharmacists to assess and treat patients for seven common conditions,
according to a survey by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA).
Nearly 100 NPA members participated in the snapshot poll conducted at the end of the first full week of the service.
Nine in ten respondents (87 per cent) said that "most or all patients expressed satisfaction" with the service they received.
However, many independent community pharmacy owners are facing challenges in implementing the service.
While 56 per cent of pharmacy owners surveyed expressed feeling "motivated" by the new service, a larger proportion (70 per cent) indicated being "under
additional pressure."
More than 30 per cent of the respondents found implementation of the service "harder" than they had expected.
Community Pharmacy England (CPE) highlighted the untapped potential of community pharmacies in the prevention and management of long-term conditions to
Conservative MPs during an event last week.
The roundtable discussion was attended by a select group of influential and supportive MPs alongside community pharmacy owners, the Chief Executive of Community
Pharmacy England, the Director of NHS Services, and patient representative group Healthwatch.
MPs in attendance included Steve Double, MP for St Austell and Newquay, who chaired the discussion; Will Quince MP, former Minister for Pharmacy, Derek Thomas
MP, Sir Peter Bottomley and Peter Aldous MP.
They talked about the current pressures and funding crisis in community pharmacy, exploring solutions on how this could be eased and the huge benefits that can
be unlocked.
A full CPE Committee Meeting was organised in London on April 17 and 18, 2024, to discuss crucial sectoral issues.
Key topics discussed during the two-day meeting included intolerable pressures on pharmacy owners, the ongoing Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF)
negotiations, implementation of the Pharmacy First service, and governance changes.
Committee Members reviewed the progress of CPCF negotiations with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England. These critical negotiations
are being led by the Negotiating Team (NT), which includes independent pharmacy owners and representatives of CCA and non-CCA multiples.
The CPE has been advocating for an uplift to the core global sum, margin write-offs, an agreed mechanism for regular funding increases linked to activity and
inflation, annual uplifts to service fees, more fundamental reform of the margin delivery framework and an economic review of the medicines supply chain.
The Committee also discussed the results of the 2024 Pharmacy Pressures Survey, which was conducted during March and April.
It's no secret that as pharmacists we are navigating a new and more demanding healthcare landscape. Our role has changed significantly since the start of the 21st century due to increased expectations from the public, advances in science and technology and changing workforce pressures.
The Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework for England has placed a higher focus on clinical service. In addition, the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in significant
acceleration in changing how we work day-to-day and the public perception of our role.
Community pharmacy owners and staff have been under relentless pressure for the last two years. Dispensing volumes are continually increasing but dispensing revenues
are being replaced by launching new services. We must find solutions to reduce the time it takes to dispense medication so we can focus on these new revenue generating services.
To not just succeed, but to thrive, it is becoming increasingly important to understand and embrace the technology available.
The consequences of NHS workforce crisis is not limited to general practice, community pharmacies are also suffering, commented Community Pharmacy England
after the General Medical Council (GMC) published a report on Friday (23 June) which warned of the burnout in the workforce.
The report calls for urgent actions to break a 'vicious cycle' of unmanageable workloads, dissatisfaction and burnout that is causing UK doctors to take steps to
quit.
Chief Executive Janet Morrison, said: "The GMC's report is yet another clear signal of the scale of the mounting the NHS workforce crisis, and this is not limited
to general practice: community pharmacies are also suffering the consequences of it."
"Pharmacy teams are overstretched, feeling immense pressures, and dealing with significantly increased workloads. Pharmacy owners are also finding it impossible to
make ends meet, not least given the rising staffing costs which are being driven up by workforce issues.
Findings show the number of doctors who reported working beyond their rostered hours on a weekly basis rose from 59% in 2021 to 70% in 2022, and 42% said they felt
unable to cope with their workload each week (up from 30% in 2021). Just half said they were satisfied in their work, down from 70% in 2021.
Community Pharmacy England (CPE) is seeking views from all community pharmacy owners about the pressures faced this autumn season.
A survey has been launched as the "November Pre-Committee Opinion Poll" until 6 November to seek views from independents and non-Company Chemists' Association (CCA)
members.
The results of the poll will be sent to the head offices of CCA multiples next week for discussion at the November Committee Meeting.
CPE confirmed: "The results of these polls and the outcomes of the meeting will be reported back to the sector afterwards.
They said that the survey "will be used to feed into our ongoing work to press for an uplift to core funding by enhancing our evidence base of what pharmacy owners
are experiencing."
The Community Pharmacy England (CPE) has called the recent announcement of six per cent pay rise for the public sector workforce as 'unfair' for the
community pharmacy sector.
On Thursday (13 June), the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) announced that pay scales for most doctors and dentists will increase by at least a
six per cent this year after the government accepted the recommendations from the independent pay review bodies in full.
Responding to the recent announcement Chief Executive Janet Morrison, said: "The public sector workforce pay rise will be welcome news for its recipients given
the huge inflationary pressures and the ongoing impact of the cost-of-living crisis. But for community pharmacy owners - who have faced 30% funding cuts in recent
years and who are struggling to meet their rising wage costs - this feels unfair, and very far from good news.
At Community Pharmacy England we are fully focused on the current financial and operational pressures and fighting hard for a sustainable long-term funding
arrangement.