Chris Dorney/ Alamy Stock Photo
The Liberal Democrats have said they will “put community pharmacy on a sustainable footing by properly rewarding an expanded Pharmacy First service”.
The party made the pledge in a policy motion, which was presented and approved at its autumn conference, held in Brighton on 19-22 September 2026.
In the motion — entitled, “Patient-centred, accessible and preventive: a liberal vision for primary health care” — the Liberal Democrats also pledged to better integrate pharmacy into the NHS App, including allowing services to be booked through the app.
In a press release published on the same day that the motion was approved, the party said it planned to “supercharge Pharmacy First”. In addition, the motion noted that the Liberal Democrats would expand Pharmacy First to include new services.
In the motion, the party also pledged to make community pharmacy “fairer for rural and coastal communities”.
It described pharmacies — alongside general practices and dentists — as “the front door to the rest of the NHS”. However, it said that community pharmacies had closed in record numbers and “the share of NHS spending going to primary care shrank even as demand rose”.
Commenting on the motion, Amandeep Doll, director for England at the Royal College of Pharmacy (RCPharm), said: “Investment in the pharmacy workforce and infrastructure will be crucial to keep pace with growing demand and ensure that patients can access new services wherever they live.”
The Liberal Democrats also pledged to improve medicines safety information and review prescription charge exemptions.
Doll added: “[RCPharm] continues to work alongside patient groups and health organisations to call for a review of the prescription charges system in England.
“Pharmacists want to focus on being health professionals, not tax collectors. I would urge the government to take action on prescription charges to help people with the cost of living, improve medicines adherence and reduce avoidable hospital admissions.”
In March 2026, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency launched a project around improving patient information, which will explore the potential of electronic patient information leaflets.
This is a topic that is also being explored by the Company Chemists’ Association’s (CCA) Medicines Supply Resilience Group.
Commenting on the motion, Malcolm Harrison, chief executive of the CCA, welcomed “the recognition of the financial pressures facing community pharmacy and the need for the sector to be placed on a sustainable financial footing if it is to take on an expanded role within the NHS”.
“We will continue to engage constructively with policymakers across all parties on community pharmacy developments,” he added.
Janet Morrison, chief executive of Community Pharmacy England (CPE), also welcomed the motion and the Liberal Democrats’ vision for primary health care.
“We absolutely agree with the principles of making better use of pharmacists’ clinical expertise and putting community pharmacy on a sustainable footing. Over the past year, we have worked closely with Liberal Democrat MPs and policy development teams, providing insight and evidence on Pharmacy First and a range of other issues affecting community pharmacy, so it is positive to see many of those themes reflected in the party’s ambitions for primary care,” she added.
“CPE has always taken a cross-party approach to engagement, and it will be particularly important for us to continue working with all political parties as they begin developing the policies that will shape their next election manifestos.”
