Community Pharmacy England (CPE) has said it will be highlighting pharmacy owners’ priorities to the nation's decision makers during the upcoming political party conference season.
As the political parties gather for their annual conferences, the CPE will underline the potential of community pharmacy, highlight that investment in the sector would lead to direct savings elsewhere and making the case for a more sustainable future for the network.
This season comes at a time when pharmacy owners continue to face challenges and the CPE looks ahead to a first round of CPCF negotiations with a new ministerial team.
The CPE's attendance and fringe events programme will focus on ensuring MPs, policy advisers and wider health stakeholders understand both the scale of the pressures on pharmacies and the value they could deliver with the right support from Government and the NHS.
CPE Director of Communications Zoe Long said: “Party conference season is an important opportunity for us to speak directly to policymakers about the realities facing pharmacy owners.
We will be using these opportunities to make sure community pharmacy’s value, challenges and potential are clearly understood.”
Burnham's vision
In her blog "Navigating the shift: What the new Burnham Government means for community pharmacy", CPE Chief Executive Janet Morrison said: "Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s vision for a localised and prevention-focused health service signals a significant shift in how healthcare will be delivered."
She said this government's policy focus is "moving away from national targets and towards local neighbourhood delivery, tackling health inequalities, and integrating health with social care and local economies."
Morrison said that for community pharmcies this presents a risk and challenge.
The focus on shifting the NHS from a reactive ‘sickness service’ to a proactive prevention model aligns with the services community pharmacy already offers.
"There is clear scope for us to continue to expand our role beyond traditional dispensing by building on our clinical capabilities in cardiovascular risk, women’s health, obesity, and medicines optimisation," she said.
Morrison said the CPE has a vital part to play in establishing pharmacies as a permanent fixture of national vaccination infrastructure, "expanding into areas like childhood flu and HPV catch-ups".
She said this remains a "strong story to tell" and will appeal to politicians and commissioners.
Morrison, however, said that ambition must be matched by reality.
Pharmacies run the risk of being asked to take on additional clinical responsibilities, expanded vaccination schemes, and digital integrations without the necessary funding, workforce, or operational capacity.
"Pushing more work onto already stretched teams without proper support will only undermine existing core services," she said.
