NHS Confederation responds to pharmacy 'day of action'

Responding to the National Pharmacy Association holding a ‘day of action’ to raise awareness of funding concerns Ruth Rankine, director of primary care at the NHS Confederation, said: 

“Community pharmacies play a vital role in the primary care system by helping to improve access to services – particular for patients with minor conditions – which in turn also reduces the demand on general practice.

“But there is no doubt that the entire primary care system is under intense pressure with services having to manage more demand in the wake of years of underinvestment. Community pharmacy should not be expected to operate at a loss, but the immense financial pressures have led to thousands of vital outlets closing their doors over the last decade.

“Community pharmacy, like general practice, cannot be expected to deliver more with less. These funding problems must be addressed as part of greater investment and integration across primary care. We have also been calling for a for fully funded workforce plan for the sector to make sure it has the right staff to meet rising demand and changing demographics.”