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As Health Secretary Wes Streeting initiates a national conversation about the future of the NHS, the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has stressed the importance of increasing investment in medicines to fix the 'broken' NHS. Streeting is inviting the public, NHS staff, and experts to share their experiences and contribute to shaping the government's 10 Year Health Plan to build an NHS fit for the future. The government aims to implement three big shifts to transform the NHS: hospital to community, analogue to digital, and sickness to prevention. Richard Torbett, chief executive of the ABPI, has highlighted the vital role medicines and vaccines can play in achieving these priorities. He said: "Wes Streeting is spot-on in identifying three strategic shifts necessary to fix the broken NHS. Medicines and vaccines have a vital role in all three of these priorities, but we are not currently realising their potential."

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting has on Wednesday laid out his vision for reforming the National Health Service, stating that the NHS is "broken but not beaten" after years of Conservative governance. In his address to the annual Labour Party conference in Liverpool, Streeting highlighted the current challenges facing the NHS, including record-high waiting lists, ambulance delays, and difficulties in accessing GP appointments. Stressing that "reform or die" is the choice facing the NHS, he rejected the idea of simply increasing funding without systemic changes. Streeting noted some initial successes since Labour took office, including employing 1,000 more GPs and negotiating an end to junior doctors' strikes. He revealed that crack teams of top clinicians will be deployed to hospitals across the country to roll out reforms: to treat more patients and cut waiting lists.

In his first speech as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting MP acknowledged that the NHS is in crisis while outlining his mission to save the health service. Streeting described the current state of the NHS as "broken," noting its failure to meet the needs of both patients and dedicated healthcare professionals. "When we said during the election campaign, that the NHS was going through the biggest crisis in its history, we meant it. "When we said that patients are being failed on a daily basis, it wasn't political rhetoric, but the daily reality faced by millions," he said on Friday (5 July). The new health secretary remarked that previous governments had been unwilling to admit these simple facts.

Wes Streeting's speech at the Labour Party Conference 2024 outlines several key health and social care reforms, which hold significant implications for community pharmacy in England. His focus on reforming and rebuilding the NHS to ensure fair, universal access to care, with prevention and early intervention at its core, presents both opportunities and challenges for community pharmacy. Here are the potential implications: 1. Prevention Focus Streeting's vision of a shift from a reactive, hospital-based model to a preventive healthcare system presents a promising future for community pharmacies. These changes could significantly reduce pressures on GPs and hospitals, integrating pharmacies more closely into primary care networks and enhancing their role in preventive care. 2. Digital Transformation The move from an "analogue to digital" NHS could see community pharmacies adopting more digital tools and systems for service delivery. This would likely involve greater use of digital prescribing, telehealth consultations, and AI-driven services. Pharmacies will need to invest in digital infrastructure and ensure that pharmacy professionals are trained to operate within a more tech-centric environment. 3. Reform and Redistribution of Services Streeting's plans to extend choice and equitable access to services mean that community pharmacies could become integral to providing care in underserved or disadvantaged areas. With a focus on decentralising healthcare and bringing it closer to local communities, community pharmacies could play a more significant role in supporting healthcare delivery in areas where GP services are stretched. This may include expanding access to pharmacy services in the most deprived areas, aligning with Labour's emphasis on addressing health inequalities.

At the Future of Britain Conference 2024, the newly appointed Secretary of Health and Social Care, (DHSC) Wes Streeting, stated that "Labour's DNA is in the NHS". He also called for a long-term approach to reform the broken health sector and the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) to steer the healthcare system towards sustainability and growth. Hosted by Tony Blair Institute for Global Change and My Life My Say today, Tuesday, 9, Streeting discussed the plans to fix the healthcare system and role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in "making the right choices" by bringing in three essential shifts in the healthcare. Criticising the previous Conservative administration for leaving "massive burning deck issues" due to constant reshuffling within the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), Streeting lamented that this "instability" and "indecisions" have made comprehensive reform even more pressing. Drawing inspiration from Chancellor Rachel Reeves' speech on economic growth, Streeting stressed the interconnectedness of health and economic prosperity.

The Labour government published its elective care reform plan today (6 January), outlining the necessary steps to reduce patient waiting times, including expanding non-surgical ENT [ear, nose and throat] services in community pharmacies. As set out in its 'Plan for Change', the government aims to restore the constitutional standard of 92 per cent of patients receiving treatment within 18 weeks by March 2029. Additionally, it plans to address the ongoing challenges in meeting cancer waiting time standards. Health secretary Wes Streeting emphasised the urgency of reform, highlighting that over 6 million people are currently on a waiting list, waiting for more than 7 million episodes of care, like a test or an operation. Streeting said: "For those millions of people, the fundamental promise of our NHS - that it will be there for us when we need it - has not been delivered. This can't go on." "The actions in this plan will reform elective care, giving patients timely local access to diagnostic testing, with straight to test pathways and action to reform outpatient care,

Junior doctors have accepted the government's pay offer by 66 per cent, marking the end of the most prolonged industrial dispute in the history of the NHS. Following this new deal, a newly qualified doctor starting foundation training in the NHS will now receive a basic salary of £36,600, compared to around £32,400 prior to the agreement. Beyond pay increases, the government and junior doctors agreed to work together to resolve wider issues affecting the workforce, including training and rotational placements. Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting made resolving the strikes his top priority, holding talks with the British Medical Association's (BMA's) junior doctors committee on his first day in office. Streeting expressed his relief that the offer was agreed upon within weeks, ending the strikes ahead of looming winter pressures on the NHS.

The Self-Care Strategy Group (SCSG), comprising of leading pharmacy groups, professional organisations, trade associations and charities committed to self-care, has written to Wes Streeting MP, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, urging the government to fully realise the benefits of self-care and work collaboratively to build an NHS fit for the future. In its letter, the SCSG has outlined several key proposals including: Expansion of prescribing rights. Optimisation of digital health tools such as the NHS App. Enabling direct referrals between primary, diagnostic and specialist care services Widening access to self-care medicines in pharmacies. Training Primary Care Network (PCN) staff to support patients in navigating the care system. Promoting credible health information on self-care and expanding public awareness campaigns Dr Graham Jackson, a GP and Chair of SCSG, expressed concerns over the unprecedented pressures on the NHS and primary care, cautioning that these challenges are likely to increase without urgent action.

Wes Streeting MP has been appointed Secretary of State for Health and Social Care in the new Labour Government. The Ilford North MP will now take on the critical role of overseeing the National Health Service (NHS) and implementing Labour's ambitious health agenda. At the core of the Labour Party's healthcare reform manifesto is enhancing accessibility to primary and community healthcare. This involves implementing a 'Community Pharmacist Prescribing Service,' to empower pharmacists with independent prescribing rights where clinically suitable. This initiative aims to alleviate the strain on GP practices and enhance service accessibility. Additionally, the manifesto proposes piloting Neighbourhood Health Centres, to integrate various healthcare services -such as family doctors, district nurses, and mental health specialists under one roof.

Pharmacy minister Stephen Kinnock said pharmacies have a "greater role" in providing healthcare on the high street in response to a parliamentary debate that saw MPs from all three major parties urging for greater funding for the sector. Kinnock announced that negotiations for a new pharmacy contract will begin in the New Year. "I know that hon. Members across the House will be very interested in that, in terms of the contractual framework, the medicines margin and all of the funding," he said. "We have a statutory duty to consult with the sector before we can make any announcement, but we are confident that we will start the negotiations early in the New Year." The debate in parliament, which was secured by Liberal Democrat MP, Rachel Gilmore, involved 20 MPs who insisted the sector "could do even more to improve access to primary care". The focus of the debate was on pharmacies in the Devon and the south West region, though its was highlighted that pharmacies facing financial strain was a national issue.

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA), the Company Chemists' Association (CCA), Community Pharmacy England (CPE), and the Independent Pharmacies Association (IPA) have united in urging the government to shield community pharmacies from the impact of the Budget increases. In a joint letter to the health secretary Wes Streeting MP, they have highlighted that rises in employers' National Insurance contributions and the National Living Wage could cost community pharmacies £200 million a year in unplanned costs. They have warned the government that 'without mitigation, these additional costs will push many pharmacies more towards insolvency', leading to more closures and cuts to vital health services for patients. From April 2025, the national living wage will increase by 6.7 per cent to £12.21 per hour, and the national minimum wage for 18-20-year-olds will increase by 16.3 per cent to £10 per hour.