Numark has welcomed prime minister Keir Starmer’s decision to abolish NHS England but emphasised the need to ensure community pharmacy is not overlooked in the restructuring.
Harry McQuillan, chairman of Numark, described the announcement as “a bold move” that signals a desire to put the NHS "back at the heart of government where it belongs.”
Health secretary Wes Streeting told the parliament on Thursday that NHS England will be brought into the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) entirely over the next two years.
He pointed to Lord Darzi’s report and its critique of top-down management as a key driver for this decision.
While Harry “wholeheartedly agrees,” with this assessment, he highlighted that Darzi also “championed one of the NHS’s greatest assets, community pharmacy, particularly in reaching and supporting our most deprived communities.”
He expressed frustration over the NHSE’s reluctance to “recognise the full potential of pharmacy teams, particularly in prescribing.”
One such example, he noted, was the failure to update the 2024-2025 flu vaccination service specification to allow trained pharmacy technicians to vaccinate when no pharmacist was available.
“These are missed opportunities that impact patient care,” he said.
Harry argued that NHSE has often struggled to understand community pharmacy’s role in protecting public health, insisting that “this must change.”
He also voiced disappointment that the government continues to exclude community pharmacy from major healthcare decisions and funding allocations.
“The prime minister has stated that the money saved from this restructure should be invested in nurses, doctors, and GP appointments, yet once again, community pharmacy is missing from the conversation,” Harry said, adding “That cannot continue.”
Is this move away from arms-length bodies a good thing?
Harry said: “Potentially, yes. But only if it results in meaningful engagement with those on the frontline, healthcare professionals who, day in and day out, ensure patients get the care they need.”
“For too long, pharmacy has been overlooked, underfunded, and undervalued.”
“This is a pivotal moment to change that,” he continued, urging the government to seize this opportunity to “fully integrate and invest in the sector that has proven time and again its ability to deliver.”
Harry added that Numark, with its 5700 community pharmacy members, is ideally placed to improve public health through the delivery of care services, provided it receives “the necessary additional funding to support that transformation.”
Community pharmacy is key to a primary care of the future that focuses on prevention
Community pharmacy is key to a primary care of the future that focuses on prevention
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