Key Summary
- Community pharmacies will support people to manage complex medication regimens, as well as provide treatment for obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol
- They will also play a bigger role in prevention through screening services and vaccine delivery
- The Government plans to modernise the approach to dispensing medicines by including dispensing robots, and hub and spoke models
The Labour government's 10-Year Health Plan has allocated a bigger role for community pharmacies by bringing the management of long-term conditions (LTC) and the delivery of vaccinations under its purview.
The plan acknowledges that ‘there is now strong evidence that a bigger role for pharmacy can deliver efficiencies’ and is reportedly inspired by Canada’s Pharmacy Care Clinics.
Community pharmacies will soon support people in managing complex medication regimens, as well as provide treatment for obesity, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.
They will also play a bigger role in prevention through screening services and vaccine delivery, including providing a catch-up service for the HPV vaccination.
To support the transformation, the Government has committed to engaging with the sector on modernising the approach to dispensing medicines and making better use of technology, including dispensing robots and hub-and-spoke models.
It has also committed to the modernisation of dispensing and working to integrate community pharmacy into the Single Patient Record system which will be developed by the NHS.
The plan is a culmination of months of engagement with the public and healthcare leaders, including those from the pharmacy sector.
Community Pharmacy England had submitted detailed proposals during the consultation phase and later influenced the plan as a member of the Partners Council.
It claims the proposals are broadly aligned to its aspirations, but is awaiting details on how the community pharmacy services will operate.
Community Pharmacy England chief executive Janet Morrison said, “We are keen to start discussing the practicalities as soon as practicable. The development of each new service needs to be carefully managed given the sector’s current capacity and tight finances."
She said the 2026/27 Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) negotiations with Government should begin soon.
"It’s clear that the strategy to show politicians how many solutions pharmacy has to offer is working – but that now needs to be backed by sustainable funding to enable community pharmacy to reach its potential,” she said.
Morrison said the 10-Year Plan should also act as a springboard for the development of a pharmacy-specific plan for the future.
