The Independent Pharmacy Contractors Network has welcomed the House of Lords debate on the plight of community pharmacies, and the crucial role they play in delivering the Government's ambition to shift care from hospitals into primary and community settings.
During the debate, Baroness Janke of the Liberal Democrat party said that though community pharmacy is often described as the front door of the National Health Service, "yet we are currently watching that door being systematically bolted shut in the communities that need it most."
She had remarked, "We cannot move healthcare out of hospitals and into the community if the community infrastructure has been allowed to crumble."
The IPCN said the House has finally recognised something that independent community pharmacy owners have been saying for years.
However, now concrete action is needed, as community pharmacy cannot continue to do more with less, it added.
The IPCN has pointed out that independent pharmacies have repeatedly demonstrated their willingness to innovate, adapt and deliver, even during adverse circumstances.
"But this resilience should not be confused with sustainability."
"For too long, independent contractors have been expected to deliver more activity, more responsibility and more clinical care without the financial framework required to support that ambition. The House of Lords debate rightly recognised that reality."
Reform must now replace rhetoric and the forthcoming programme of contractual reform must include:
- A sustainable funding settlement reflecting the real cost of delivering modern community pharmacy services.
- Comprehensive reform of medicines reimbursement and margin arrangements to restore financial stability.
- Fair remuneration for clinical services based upon the true cost of safe delivery.
- Long-term investment that allows independent pharmacies to recruit, retain and develop their workforce.
- Recognition that protecting the existing pharmacy network is itself an investment in NHS resilience.
Without these reforms, ambitions for neighbourhood healthcare will remain aspirations rather than a deliverable policy.
For years, independent contractors have warned that community pharmacy cannot continue catering to NHS demand for new services without corresponding investment and reform.
Parliament has now publicly acknowledged many of those concerns. The challenge is no longer identifying the problems, but in demonstrating the political will to solve them.
