Shutterstock.com
The Conservative Party manifesto says it would increase annual funding for an expanded ‘Pharmacy First’ scheme in England to £250m by 2027, if it won the general election.
In a costings document, published alongside the party’s general election manifesto on 11 June 2024, the Conservative Party said that Pharmacy First funding would climb in each year of the next Parliament, with £20m to be spent in 2025/2026, £49m in 2026/2027, reaching £250m from 2027/2028.
The manifesto also says that the Conservatives would expand the Pharmacy First scheme if they formed the next government, “including for menopause support, contraception and treatment for chest infections”. The document says this would free up 20 million GP appointments per year.
Pharmacy First currently offers pharmacy treatment for seven common conditions: sinusitis; sore throat; infected insect bites; impetigo; shingles; uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs) in women; and acute otitis media.
Pharmacies taking part are paid a monthly fee of £1,000 if they deliver a minimum number of consultations through the scheme, plus £15 per consultation.
Data from the NHS Business Services Authority covering the first month of the scheme’s operation from 31 January 2024 have showed that an average of 12 consultations were carried out by each participating pharmacy.
The figures also showed that more than 10,000 pharmacies had signed up to offer the Pharmacy First scheme in its first month.
In its updated ‘Delivery plan for recovering access to primary care’, which was published in April 2024, NHS England set an ambition for community pharmacies to deliver at least 320,000 Pharmacy First consultations each month by March 2025.
The Conservative Party manifesto said it would continue to increase NHS spending above inflation for each year of the next parliament.
The party also said it would support the UK life sciences sector by “embracing the opportunities provided by Brexit to pursue nimble and agile regulation, supported by a well-equipped [Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency]”.
“This would include removing bureaucratic obstacles to the use of new medicines and a new medtech pathway to rapidly deploy tools like [artificial intelligence] throughout the NHS,” it added.
Commenting on the manifesto, Janet Morrison, chief executive of Community Pharmacy England, said support for community pharmacy in the party manifestos already published [Conservatives and Liberal Democrats] “show the strength of the support for the sector, and this political consensus is very positive”.
“We were also pleased to see a specific commitment to expanding Pharmacy First into further treatment areas from the Conservatives,” she added.
“There is still work to be done to cement Pharmacy First’s long-term success and we urge all political parties to commit to long-term sustainable funding alongside any further development of pharmacy services.”
Paul Rees, chief executive of the National Pharmacy Association said: “It’s good news that the Conservatives want to give an ever greater role to community pharmacies.
“Giving greater powers to pharmacies is a clear, affordable way to cut waiting times for GPs and hospitals and give convenient, expert care to people on their doorsteps. Ideas like this should be taken up by whoever forms the next government.”
James Davies, director for England at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, has welcomed the cross-party support for Pharmacy First and the recognition of how pharmacists are central to delivering government ambitions for the NHS.
“As we ask pharmacists to do more, this needs to go hand in hand with support for the workforce, sustainable funding and a roadmap for prescribing services,” he said.
