There is support from the public for pharmacies to provide more clinical services in areas such as weight management, according to research from the National Pharmacy Association (NPA).
Almost half (45 per cent) of the public wanted to see more minor illness treatment services from their local pharmacy, while a further 48 per cent would like to see more local NHS services close to where they live.
The government is expected to imminently announce its 10 Year Health Plan with reports suggesting it will give commission more services to community pharmacy in line with its drive to move healthcare from hospital into the community.
"This polling shows the government must listen to patients in their 10 Year Plan and act boldly to move care out of hospitals and into the community,” said Henry Gregg, chief executive of the NPA.
"Pharmacies continue to go out of business due to the consequences of nearly 10 years of real terms funding pressures.
"This is the time to be ambitious and invest in our pharmacies to deliver more clinical services to patients than ever before, dramatically improving access to NHS care.”
Just under half (44 per cent) of adults support the NHS making weight loss injections free through their community pharmacy, rising to 55 per cent among those aged 16–34 year old.
There is an expectation that pharmacies will be allowed to prescribe weight loss drugs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro.
Pharmacies are already providing weight loss treatment in line with criteria set out by the MHRA. Meanwhile, the NHS are rolling the medication out to significantly smaller numbers of people at the very highest risk from obesity and associated ill-health
“The government has a once in a generation opportunity to use the 10 Year Plan to turbo charge the role of community pharmacies who have a vital part to play in creating a neighbourhood health service,” said Gregg.
"It's clear that supply for weight loss medication will need to be carefully managed to meet demand and protect access for those people who will benefit most."
Gregg insisted that the government needed to provide pharmacies with sufficient funding to deliver any new services that might be expected of them as part of the 10 Year Plan.
Independent economic analysis commissioned by NHS England recently found that pharmacies still face a £2.6 billion funding gap, despite recent uplifts in funding.
