Ministers have asked NHS England to provide an update on when the economic review into pharmacy as unrest continues to grow in the delay in publishing the report.
The NHS England-commissioned independent report aims to analyse pharmacy funding and the cost of delivering NHS services.
Led by Layla Moran, chair of the Health and Social Care Committee (HSCC) and MP for Oxford Wes and Abingdon, a letter has been sent to outgoing NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard asking when the report will be released and if it will be published in full.
Commenting on the letter, Nick Kaye, chair of the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) said:
"We're pleased to see that the Health Select Committee is seeking an urgent update on the full publication of the Independent Economic Analysis.
"The NPA has called for much needed transparency - there is no reason why this document cannot be published immediately.
"It is vitally important the public can fully understand the financial pressures affecting community pharmacy before any offer is put forward by the government."
Last week, pharmacy minister Stephen Kinnock revealed that work on the economic reviews was “nearing completion and will be published at the earliest opportunity”.
Community Pharmacy England (CPE) said they had considered draft findings of the review and had submitted further comments to the report’s authors last week. They added that they will consider the final report once completed, as part of the ongoing negotiation process for the community pharmacy funding contract.
In a statement, NHS England said whilst it was committed to publishing the report, they were unable to give further details whilst consultations are ongoing with Community Pharmacy England over 2024/25 and 2025/26 funding arrangements.
Sukhi Basra
