Community pharmacy will play a ‘vital role’ in the government’s plan to transform the NHS as it outlined its 10 Year Plan today.
The plan includes establishing new health centres as part of a Neighbourhood Health Service bringing a broader range of services under one roof. The government said that would free hospitals from "perpetual firefighting" and bring down waiting lists.
“Over the next five years, we will transition community pharmacy from being focused largely on dispensing medicines to becoming integral to the Neighbourhood Health Service, offering more clinical services,” said the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).
“As community pharmacists increasingly become able to independently prescribe, we will increase their role in the management of long-term conditions, complex medication regimes, and treatment of obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.”
From September 2026, all newly qualified pharmacists will be independent prescribers upon registration.
The government said community pharmacy would bring ‘health to the heart of the high street’ and pointed to countries such as Canada where pharmacies play a greater role in patient care.
Canada’s ‘Pharmacy Care Clinics’65 provides services including support with minor ailments through to chronic disease management.
The DHSC said that as well as improving patient choice and convenience, there is now strong evidence that a bigger role for pharmacy can deliver efficiencies and support financial sustainability.
“We will also give community pharmacy a bigger role in prevention by expanding their role in vaccine delivery and in screening for risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes,” it added.
“Over time, community pharmacy will be securely joined up to the Single Patient Record, to help them provide a seamless service - and to give GPs sight of patient management.”
There will be focus on pharmacists playing a ‘critical role’ in women getting access to fast and convenient healthcare.
“We have already announced plans to make emergency hormonal contraception freely available from community pharmacists by the end of this year,” said the DHSC.
“From 2026, to help hit our target to eliminate cervical cancer, women and young people who missed out on the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination at school will be able to have the vaccine administered at their local pharmacy.”
