The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Pharmacy (APPG) has launched a rapid inquiry into the financial and operational impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on community pharmacy with a view to securing extra support for the sector.
It is conducting a survey of workforce and call for evidence which runs from today until the end of November.
The flash inquiry aims to examine how pharmacy has coped and responded during the pandemic, the pressures frontline pharmacy teams and pharmacy owners have faced, and whether existing funding structures have been enough to support the sector.
At the conclusion of the inquiry, the APPG will publish a report and a set of recommendations on what support and reforms are needed for the sector to remain sustainable in the future.
Chair of the All-Party Pharmacy Group, Jackie Doyle-Price, said: “Pharmacy teams have responded heroically in the face of unprecedented pressure during the pandemic. Maintaining the supply of vital medicines, stepping up to help absorb the additional demands posed by Covid and going above and beyond to ensure services continue.
She added that the APPG has been “hearing so many examples” of how the financial and operational challenges faced by community pharmacies have been amplified by the pandemic and have posed an existential threat to the sector.
“Our inquiry seeks to rapidly examine these challenges and provide a set of recommendations which can be offered to the government.”
Anyone wishing to supply evidence to the APPG should get in touch via this email address.
