Skip to content

This Site is Intended for Healthcare Professionals Only

Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

'PSNC has asked for urgent extra funding to ease ongoing pressure on pharmacy businesses'

The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) chief executive Janet Morrison has assured contractors that PSNC will continue to raise with the new prime minister all concerning issues that are bothering pharmacy businesses.

She felt the "fixed five-year funding settlement that is declining in real terms" was one of the serious factors that is putting a lots of pressure on contractors.


PSNC has provided a compelling portfolio of evidence on the impact that pressures are having on the sector, and requested urgent additional funding, she said.

Morrison, in her video message shared yesterday (August 24), urged contractors to keep sharing and sending evidences to act on their behalf.

She said she is aware "this one of the toughest periods for the businesses" and "I believe that it demands more action from the government."

Morrison assured the sector she was aware that contractors were also facing difficulties in "dealing with global medicines market and the challenges on been able to procure medicines within the drug tariff."

“I know how hard it is to see the future sustainability of your businesses. I can see you are facing serious workforce pressure, rising cost, shortage of pharmacists, inflation pressure. I know your using facing increase in demand from the patients who has given up on their GPs and turning to you for support and advice.”

She said: “I want to assure you that I know.”

“What is challenging for the contractors is not being able to pass that pressure to the patients and having to work within the devour and not been able to stop the pressure of demand or deliver any further efficiency,” she added.

Morrison assured the contractors that PSNC has been speaking to government and the NHS on a weekly basis to share those concerns.

“Past month, I have written to ministers twice raised those concern on the regular bases. We will continue to work hard with the committees to look up what further options we have to raise these issues at the higher level of the government.

“I want to assure you that it’s not acceptable and it’s not sustainable, we are passing on that message very strongly to the government and we will continue to do that with the new prime minister and new ministerial team.”

Last month, pharmacy bodies urged the Health Select Committee to hold the government to account on pharmacy funding and workforce challenges. Leaders from the sector came together to write a joint letter to the chair of the committee and former health secretary Jeremy Hunt and bring to his attention how financial pressures worsened by nearly a decade of a real-term decrease in funding have made the sector virtually untenable.

PSNC’s recently published ‘Pharmacy Pressures Survey’ confirms how this has had an impact on pharmacy contractors, their teams as well as patients.

The survey found that 91 per cent of pharmacies are experiencing staff shortages. At the same time, demand for community pharmacists has risen – nine in ten pharmacy teams reported a significant increase in phone calls from patients about prescriptions, and 86 per cent reported a rise in requests for healthcare advice.

More For You

NHS to invest millions to boost enhanced treatment for sickle cell patients

Approximately 17,000 people live in England with sickle cell disease

Pic credit: istock

NHS to invest millions to boost enhanced treatment for sickle cell patients

The Department of Health and Social Care has announced that it will invest £9 million towards the treatment of sickle cell patients.

Approximately 17,000 people live in England with sickle cell disease. Nearly 250 new cases of this inherited blood disorder is reported annually.

Keep ReadingShow less
NHS leads the world with new ‘trojan horse’ therapy for blood cancer patients

An estimated 6,000 cases of multiple myeloma is diagnosed in the UK each year.

Pic credit: istock

NHS leads the world with new ‘trojan horse’ therapy for blood cancer patients


NHS England has become the first in the world to introduce a ‘trojan horse’ therapy for the victims of blood cancer with the ground-breaking treatment slowing down the illness three-times more than existing treatments.

Keep ReadingShow less
Call to improve inclusivity in clinical research

Ethnic minority adults continue to be underrepresented in clinical trials.

iStock

Call to improve inclusivity in clinical research

A NEW report has called for the participation of a wide range of diverse communities in clinical research to make sure that the medicines meet the needs of the UK's increasingly diverse population.

The report ‘Achieving inclusivity in clinical research’, prepared by the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) and the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC), highlights the long-standing challenges in ensuring diversity in clinical trials.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pharmacy students Learning Support Fund

Pharmacy students will be included in the Travel and Dual Accommodation Expenses section of the NHS Learning Support Fund.

iStock

Pharmacy students to have access to Learning Support Fund

FOR the first time in England, pharmacy students will be eligible to reimburse travel and accommodation costs while attending placements.

The Department of Health and Social Care confirmed that pharmacy students would finally be included in the Travel and Dual Accommodation Expenses (TDAE) section of the NHS Learning Support Fund (LSF).

Keep ReadingShow less
NHS for robotic surgery

Patients undergoing robotic surgery are able to recover quicker and be discharged sooner.

Pic credit: iStock

NHS pushes for robotic surgery to reduce waiting time, improve outcomes

The NHS is planning to step up robotic surgery over the next decade to reduce waiting time, help in the speed of recovery of patients, and shorter hospital stay.

As per the NHS projections, the number is expected to zoom from 70,000 in 2023/24 to half a million by 2035.

Keep ReadingShow less