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The current funding and contractual framework for community pharmacy is not fit for purpose, the Health and Social Care Committee report has concluded, recommending a complete overhaul to reduce its complexity. Published today, the report highlighted the necessity for a new framework to ensure adequate funding and to prevent damaging cross-subsidy between clinical services and prescription dispensing, as is presently observed. The report revealed that community pharmacy funding has fallen by over 30 per cent in real terms since 2015, resulting in an annual shortfall of at least £67,000 per pharmacy for individual owners. More than 1,100 community pharmacies have closed since 2015, of which were serving the most deprived areas, it said. MPs on the committee have urged the government to address medicine shortages, warning that they could undermine flagship initiatives such as 'Pharmacy First' by eroding public confidence in pharmacists. "People living with type 2 diabetes, ADHD, epilepsy and cystic fibrosis, and those experiencing the menopause, have faced challenges accessing the vital medication they need. Many others are facing similar experiences.

The Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA) has found that the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) met 17 out of 18 of its Standards of Good Regulation during 2023-24. The GPhC's performance and that of other regulators is reviewed regularly by the PSA, with the results reported to the parliament. This year's report covers the period from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024. The PSA concluded that the GPhC has still not met Standard 15 relating to timeliness of fitness to practise (FTP) investigations. The regulator missed this standard last year too. "We note the GPhC's work to reduce the time it takes to progress cases through its FTP system and are aware of the pressure caused by another significant increase in the number of FTP referrals. However, because timeliness has deteriorated this year, we have concluded that Standard 15 is once again not met," the PSA report said. "We have written to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and the Chair of the Health and Social Care Committee to provide an update on the GPhC's performance, and we will continue to closely monitor the GPhC's performance in this area."

The government has responded to the Health and Social Care Select Committee's report on community pharmacy, acknowledging 17 of the 19 recommendations. In its report published on 29 May 2024, the Committee recommended, among other things, an overhaul of the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF), closing the funding gap, tackling medicines shortages by introducing generic substitution, and establishing an integrated and fully funded workforce plan for pharmacy. In its response, released today, the government stated that NHS England is currently conducting an economic analysis of the sector, which will inform future proposals for funding and contractual arrangements. On medicine shortages, it mentioned that the Department of Health and Social Care, working closely with NHS England, is taking forward a range of actions to improve their ability to mitigate and manage shortages and strengthen resilience. Additionally, the government has stated that it will "publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan" this summer and is "committed to growing the pharmacy workforce."