Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was questioned whether he 'will take urgent action to prevent pharmacy closure'.
At Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) in Parliament held on Wednesday (26 April) he replied, "we will continue to do everything we can to support community
pharmacies."
Labour MP for Knowsley and All-Party Pharmacy Group member, George Howarth said: "Given the chronic lack of capacity in the NHS, the Prime Minister will be aware
that community pharmacy can help deal with minor illnesses. But there is a problem on average 10 Pharmacy close every month in England."
Prime Minister was further asked "will he take urgent action to prevent further closing and commission a properly funded 'Pharmacy First' service for minor
illnesses?
Sunak replied: "I've been a wholehearted champion and believer in the role that community pharmacists can play. we want to make sure that they can do everything
to ease some of the pressures in primary care.
Former chancellor Rishi Sunak on Monday (October 24) won the battle for leader of Britain's Conservative party and will become the country's first prime
minister of colour.
Penny Mordaunt, the last rival left after Boris Johnson dramatically pulled out, failed to secure the necessary 100 nominations from her fellow MPs.
"Rishi Sunak is therefore elected as leader of the Conservative party," senior backbencher Graham Brady said, as Mordaunt pledged her "full support" for Sunak.
Sunak's triumph came after Johnson's decision late Sunday to abandon his political comeback bid.
Just weeks after he lost out to Liz Truss to lead the ruling Tories, Sunak therefore pulled off a stunning reversal in fortunes.
The contest, triggered by outgoing leader Truss's resignation on Thursday, had required candidates to secure the support of at least 100 Conservative MPs by 2:00 pm
(1300 GMT) on Monday.
Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford joined Diwali celebration at the official Indian government in Cardiff on 26 October.
The 68-year-old Labour politician joined in with the traditional Indian dancing at Glamorgan Cricket club in Pontcanna, Cardiff, for the Hindu celebration of Diwali.
He was joined by Health Minister Baroness Eluned Morgan and Indian Honorary Consul Raj Aggarwal, who organised the event which was attended by hundreds of guests and
included some exuberant celebrations.
Speaking at the event Raj Aggarwal spoke about the excitement in the British Asian community to have the UK's first ever Asian Prime Minister.
Britain on Tuesday (January 4) faced warnings of an impending hospital crisis due to staff shortages caused by a wave of Omicron infections, as the country
returned to work after Christmas.
However, Britain's vaccine minister said hospitalised Covid-19 patients were showing less severe symptoms than before, adding that there was no need for further
restrictions at this stage.
Prime minister Boris Johnson resisted imposing stringent lockdown measures in England ahead of New Year as Omicron fuelled a spike in cases to record highs.
While hospitalisations are rising they have not tracked the trajectory of daily cases, possibly reflecting the impact of vaccines and booster shots, the likely lower severity of Omicron and the time lag in people going into hospital.
"At the moment, if you look at the people who have been hospitalised, they are going in with less severe conditions than before," minister for Vaccines and Public Health Maggie Throup told Sky News, adding that the "Plan B" Johnson brought in in December was working.
"The numbers that are in hospital beds is about half what it was a year ago - and that just shows the power of the vaccine."
The government has earmarked £200 million to enhance NHS resilience and expedite patient care during the upcoming winter season. This extra amount will
bolster the health service during its busiest period, while protecting elective care so we can keep cutting waiting lists, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said.
On August 13, the Prime Minister and Health and Social Care Secretary met with clinical leaders and NHS Chiefs to strategise and refine planning for urgent and
emergency care, while prioritising the preservation of waiting list targets for the upcoming winter season.
"Patients can be reassured that I will always back the NHS, so that those who most need help and support will get the care they need," Sunak said. "Winter is
the most challenging time for the health service, which is why we've been planning for it all year - with huge government investment to fund new ambulances, beds
and virtual wards."
"This £200 million investment, assured by the Department of Health and Social Care as new and additional funding, should aid NHS leaders in their preparations and
mitigation for what will be a seriously difficult winter period," said Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive of NHS Confederation. "The priority now is swift allocation
of funding to local systems for optimal utilisation."
Steve McCabe, the Labour MP for Birmingham, Selly Oak says a "vicious" NHS contract has been forcing community pharmacies into bankruptcy.
Asking his question in parliament during Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday (March 8), McCabe said he has heard Rishi Sunak speak fondly about working in his
mother's community pharmacy.
The MP asked how would the prime minister feel "if 600 pharmacies close this year because of a vicious NHS contract which takes no account of rising costs and is
forcing many into bankruptcy?"
The prime minister responded by saying that community pharmacies do fantastic work and that his government was looking at ways in which it could support the sector
to do even more.
Sunak said: "I praise the work that our community pharmacies do. They are fantastic at being on the frontline of delivering primary care. And as I've said previously
the government is exploring ways in which we can support them to do even more.
Prime minister Rishi Sunak appointed Conservative MP for North East Cambridgeshire Steve Barclay as secretary of state for health and social care on 25 October
2022.
He previously held the same role between 5 July and 6 September - after Sajid Javid resigned as health secretary.
As head of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) his responsibilities will include "overall financial control and oversight of NHS delivery and
performance" as well as "oversight of social care policy".
Mr Barclay was succeeded by Thérèse Coffey, who thanked her "great ministerial team" at the DHSC in a Tweet, before taking up her new responsibility as environment
secretary in the new cabinet.
As head of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) his responsibilities will include "overall financial control and oversight of NHS delivery and
performance" as well as "oversight of social care policy".
Mr Barclay was succeeded by Thérèse Coffey, who thanked her "great ministerial team" at the DHSC in a Tweet, before taking up her new responsibility as environment
secretary in the new cabinet.
Former health secretary Sajid Javid on Tuesday (July 12) dropped out of the leadership contest to replace Boris Johnson as leader of the Conservative Party and
prime minister.
"There is an abundance of both ideas and talent in our party. One of the candidates will be given the honour of becoming prime minister," Javid said in a statement.
"I look forward to seeing the debate unfold and to see colleagues working together as a united Conservative Party once the leadership election is concluded."
Javid and chancellor of the exchequer Rishi Sunak resigned on July 5.
Former Prime Minister Theresa May has formally opened new offices of LEO Pharma UK and Ireland during a launch event in Maidenhead, Berkshire.
The company said on Friday (June 16) that the new building, based at Foundation Park, will function as its UK and Ireland operational headquarters.
LEO Pharma has been manufacturing dermatology products in the UK and Ireland for over 60 years and continues its commitment to the Maidenhead area, where it been
based for 10 years. The grounds offer state-of-the-art facilities and a greener and more sustainable workplace, the company said and hoped that that strong transport
connections at Foundation Park will allow for seamless international collaboration, while a range of health and wellness initiatives will contribute to employee
wellbeing.
This new space will enable a collaborative and flexible work environment for LEO Pharma staff, ensuring they can continue to work to improve the lives of people
living with skin conditions, their families and society.
Former chancellor Rishi Sunak, one of two candidates vying to be Britain's next premier, criticised the way outgoing prime minister Boris Johnson handled the
Covid-19 pandemic, saying it had been a mistake to "empower" scientists and that the downsides of lockdowns were suppressed.
The Tories are choosing a new leader after Johnson was forced to quit when dozens of ministers resigned in protest at a series of scandals and missteps. Party members
are voting to select either Sunak or foreign secretary Liz Truss, who will take over next month.
Opinion polls show Sunak is behind in race. The handling of the pandemic has become an issue, with Truss saying this month she would never again approve another
lockdown and also asserting that as trade minister at the time she was not involved in taking the key decisions about how to respond.
Sunak said the government had been "wrong to scare people" about coronavirus. He said he was banned by officials in Johnson's office from discussing the "trade-offs"
of imposing coronavirus-related restrictions, such as the impact on missed doctor's appointments and lengthening waiting lists for healthcare in the NHS.
Two dozen parliamentarians from across the political spectrum have called on the prime minister to act as a wave of pharmacy closures in recent years has
threatened to spiral out of control.
A letter to the prime minister signed by 24 MPs and peers has warned that worse could be yet to come after "spiralling business costs" and "year after year of real
terms funding cuts" have led to hundreds of pharmacy closures.
New data from the PSNC shows that over 639 local pharmacies have been lost in England since 2016.
"This is the equivalent to just short of one pharmacy closure per constituency", the cross-party group warned.
The letter comes as MPs came together at a parliamentary summit to call for pharmacies to be embraced as a "game-changer" for tackling healthcare backlogs and taking
pressure off other areas of the NHS. A 'Future of Pharmacy' event was attended by 53 parliamentarians on July 5 in the Palace of Westminster.
At the event parliamentarians heard directly from frontline pharmacists and representatives of pharmacy bodies where a map of constituency-specific pharmacy numbers
was also unveiled, with details of the number of pharmacy closures in MPs' local area.
Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, has backed pharmacists to play a greater clinical role in the health and well-being of the nation, describing them
as "valuable and trusted" members of the community.
Pharmacists have faced a difficult year with 222 community pharmacies closing in just the first six months.
Boots alone will be closing 300 branches over the next 12 months.
Sunak, however, insisted that his government knows the "hard work of pharmacy teams", and that he wants to "enable them to do more to support the NHS."
Speaking at the annual Sigma Conference in London on Sunday (5 November), the prime minister reiterated that community pharmacy is in line for a much-needed
boost in funding.
"Earlier this year, the government announced plans for further investment of up to £645 million over the next few years to support the Pharmacy First service
for patients," Sunak said in a letter read out at the conference by Lord Dolar Popat.
"This means that community pharmacies will be able to assess patients and provide some options to protect them without a GP appointment."
Boris Johnson has picked Steve Barclay as the new health secretary following the resignation of Sajid Javid, who stepped down on July 5 after saying he had
lost faith in prime minister's leadership.
Barclay - who had served as chief of staff of the prime minister since February 2022 - was previously a junior health minister in 2018, responsible for NHS workforce
and finance, before serving as Brexit secretary, chief secretary to the Treasury, and chancellor of the duchy.
He is the fourth health secretary after Jeremy Hunt, Matt Hancock and Sajid Javid in the past five years.
In a statement on his appointment, Barclay said it was "an honour" to be take up the position, adding: "Our NHS and social care staff have showed us time and again -
throughout the pandemic and beyond - what it means to work with compassion and dedication to transform lives.
"This government is investing more than ever before in our NHS and care services to beat the Covid-19 backlogs, recruit 50,000 more nurses, reform social care and
ensure patients across the country can access the care they need."
The final report of the Infected Blood Inquiry has been published today, bringing to light a devastating chapter in the history of the UK's healthcare system.
The inquiry, which was launched by former Prime Minister Theresa May in 2017, examined how contaminated blood products infected over 30,000 NHS patients with
deadly viruses, including HIV and Hepatitis C, between the 1970s and 1990s.
Following the publication of the report, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak issued a formal apology on behalf of successive governments, acknowledging the state's
significant failings.
He stated that he finds it "impossible to comprehend" how victims felt when injected with deadly diseases through no fault of their own.
The UK Government is investing £100 million to accelerate the use of AI in life sciences and healthcare under a new mission.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced the AI Life Sciences Accelerator Mission in his speech last week.
The new initiative will capitalise on the UK's unique strengths in securing "health data and cutting-edge AI."
It will also help to identify those at risk of "dementia" and will ensure that patients participate in the trials at the right time to develop new treatments
effectively.
Henceforth, it will provide us with better data on how well new therapies work.
Sunak said: "AI can help us solve some of the greatest social challenges of our time. AI could help find novel dementia treatments or develop vaccines for cancer."
US biotech firm Moderna will build a new research and manufacturing centre in Britain to develop vaccines against new Covid-19 variants, other respiratory
illnesses and help improve readiness for any future pandemics.
The facility is expected to start producing shots in 2025 and Britain has made a commitment to buy Moderna's vaccines for the next decade under the agreement.
Moderna's Covid-19 vaccines, which use messenger RNA (mRNA) technology, were among those deployed in Britain to tackle the crisis and enable prime minister Boris
Johnson to reopen the economy from stringent lockdowns.
Moderna chief executive Stephane Bancel said the priority was to develop a shot combining refreshed boosters against Covid, flu and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV).
"By building a plant in the UK, we are also providing the UK Government - which has a long term partnership with us, with this agreement - with the ability to be
pandemic ready," Bancel said on Wednesday.
As Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announces the forthcoming UK general election, pharmacy bodies are calling on all political parties to commit to solving the
issues facing the sector.
The next UK general election will be held on 4 July, Sunak announced it on Wednesday afternoon during a press conference outside 10 Downing Street.
"As the election is called it's imperative that any incoming government addresses the crisis in primary care and the looming cliff edge facing pharmacies, which
for millions of people are the front door to the NHS and a crucial source of frontline health care," said Paul Rees, Chief Executive of the National Pharmacy
Association (NPA).
Noting that the first responsibility of the government is to keep its people safe and healthy, he emphasised the importance of addressing the "deep funding gap
that is pushing record numbers of pharmacies to the edge of closure and beyond, exacerbating the issues of waiting lists for GPs and hospital care."
Northern Ireland will see changes in the regulatory landscape following the issuance of the Windsor Framework on 27th Feb 2023 and the corresponding EU
Commission proposal. An agreement, in principle, has been reached by the UK and EU.
The new path forward of the Windsor Framework marks a turning point in how both the UK and the EU will work together collaboratively and constructively to ensure
that the same medicines are available in Northern Ireland at the same time as they are in the rest of the United Kingdom.
Whilst this is a successful result for Northern Ireland patients, this is major change for companies that have made specific provisions in their supply chains for
Northern Ireland. The supply chains of companies where provisions and changes were made such as introduction of GB specific pack may be impacted as a result.
However, the burden on the UK Pharma supply chain will be eased.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak walks with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen in Windsor on February 27, 2023
Pharma companies will need to carefully consider making changes within their processes and supply chains pending the issuance of clear guidance from the MHRA on
the regulation changes resulting from the Windsor Agreement and the corresponding EU Commission proposed regulatory changes associated with medicinal products
within the Northern Ireland market.
Smooth access to the EU market for Northern Ireland pharmaceutical and medical technology firms has been safeguarded within the constraints of the agreement. The
pragmatic dual-regulatory system protects business, patients and healthcare services, and reflects that it is an essential state function to maintain and oversee
the supply of medicines within the whole United Kingdom.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, during today's (15th May ) Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs), reiterated his commitment to supporting community pharmacies amidst
growing concerns over pharmacy closures.
Addressing questions regarding the Pharmacy First initiative, Sunak assured the House of Commons of his dedication to bolstering resources for these vital healthcare
providers.
In response to a query raised by Member of Parliament, St Ives MP Derek Thomas, citing statistics from the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) about "committing to
directing funds towards Community Pharmacy to alleviate financial pressure and prevent closures, Sunak remarked that he "cares deeply about the future of community
pharmacies."
Sunak acknowledged the indispensable role played by community pharmacists in alleviating pressure on urgent care services, emphasising the importance of initiatives
like Pharmacy First in government's commitment to supporting community pharmacies.
"There are over 10 and a half Community pharmacies across the country working incredibly hard to serve their patients," Sunak said praising the community pharmacists
and highlighted the concerning trend of pharmacy closures, citing a significant increase compared to the previous year.
Responding to an MP's question in the House of Commons, prime minister Rishi Sunak reiterated his deep concern for the future of UK community pharmacies,
stressing their commitment to enhancing the sector with an additional £645 million in funding through the Pharmacy First initiative.
At the recent Prime Minister's Questions last Wednesday, Angela Richardson, the Conservative MP for Guildford, raised the issue of rising pharmacy closures,
revealing that Guildford recently lost two neighbouring pharmacies.
Highlighting that empowering local pharmacies is a key part of this government's plan to cut waiting lists, she asked Sunak whether he would agree that it is
vital for residents to have access to "a good, efficient, and above all, local pharmacy."
In response, Sunak said: "I care deeply about the future of our community pharmacies."