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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."

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."

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has warned that it would go ahead with the planned collective action if consultations on the current financial year's funding do not commence this month and if a proposed deal fails to meet their minimum tests. New estimates from the NPA show that if collective action goes ahead, over 17,000 hours of pharmacy time per week could be lost to patients, totaling around 900,000 hours over the course of the year. The organisation has laid out five key tests that any funding package from the government must meet. It has demanded that the government and NHS England present an offer that meets rising costs, starts to bridge historic funding gaps and gives a roadmap to a sustainable financial future, along with reform of the broken Drug Tariff. Additionally, the NPA stated that the current system of pharmacy remuneration for medicine supply, which often results in dispensing at a loss, must undergo fundamental change as part of long-term reforms.

Despite being the most common genetic disorder in the UK, sickle cell disease (SCD) remains significantly underfunded and underserved compared to other genetic disorders, according to a new report published by the PDA BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) Pharmacists' Network. The report also reveals that the disease is poorly understood within the healthcare system, including amongst pharmacists, pharmacy students, and foundation pharmacists in the UK. It emphasises the urgent need for increased awareness, funding, and improved healthcare access for SCD amongst these healthcare professionals. "A lack of education about SCD within the wider healthcare community, including pharmacy, greatly contributes to disparities in care. "Though the importance of SCD education for pharmacists and allied healthcare professionals is acknowledged, it remains unclear whether this topic is adequately addressed within the MPharm curriculum," the report said. The report further noted that in the absence of explicit guidance from the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) or the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and without more comprehensive education surrounding SCD embedded within the pharmacy curriculum, pharmacists and future pharmacists may remain "ill-prepared to manage patients with this complex condition." As per the report, sickle cell disease is the most prevalent genetic disorder globally, impacting millions, including around 17,000 people in England.

A new analysis by the Nuffield Trust has revealed that NHS trusts in England are experiencing their worst financial deterioration in a decade, raising concerns that the government's reform plans could be at risk. The report found that the NHS trust sector, which makes up three-quarters of NHS day to day spending, recorded a £1.2 billion overspend last year, amounting to 0.9% of income in 2023/24. This is double the previous year's overspend, recorded at £448 million, and significantly worse than the modest financial surpluses seen in 2020/21 and 2021/22. The sector is in "as precarious a position it was in immediately prior to the pandemic," the report said. NHS trusts in the most deprived areas suffered the worst financial deterioration in 2023-24, with North West and Midlands reported the deepest deficits, accounting for 2.2% and 1.5% of revenues, respectively. The North East and Yorkshire have also seen the steepest declines in financial health since 2022/23. The underlying gap between stable incomes and outgoings across the provider sector was at least £4.5 billion last year.