The Department is closely monitoring the market to identify and address issues that may impact patient access to pharmacy services. Access to National Health Service pharmaceutical services remains good: there are over 11,500 pharmacies in England, an increase of approximately 12% in the last decade.<\/p>
In December 2016, as part of a wider package of reforms and to maintain access to NHS pharmaceutical services, the Government introduced the Pharmacy Access Scheme, which helps to support the financial viability of pharmacies in areas with fewer pharmacies.<\/p>
<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4455", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Seema Kennedy"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "South Ribble"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Seema Kennedy"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-06-07", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-06-07T14:44:47.577Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "17"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2019-06-03", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Pharmacy"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to recent trends in the number of community pharmacies closing, what his policy is on community pharmacy.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1438", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Beamish"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "North Durham"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Mr Kevan Jones"} ], "uin" : "259073"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1123573", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department of Health and Social Care"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1123573/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
Both the NHS Long Term Plan and the Prevention is Better than Cure vision document set out an ambition to better utilise the skills and expertise within community pharmacy. The NHS Long Term Plan introduces the development of pharmacy connection schemes that will enable patients, who do not need primary medical services, to be referred from NHS 111 and General Practitioner practices, to a community pharmacy for support and advice with a minor illness.<\/p>
<\/p>
The Department, with NHS England, has recently begun negotiations to determine the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework for 2019/20 and beyond. These negotiations will include discussions about the role of community pharmacy as set out within the NHS Long Term Plan. As the negotiations are confidential, no further detail can be provided at this time.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4455", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Seema Kennedy"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "South Ribble"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Seema Kennedy"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-05-02", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-05-02T15:53:47.237Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "17"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2019-04-29", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Pharmacy"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to use community pharmacies to reduce pressure on urgent care services across England as part of the NHS Long Term Plan.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4046", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Bridget Phillipson"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Houghton and Sunderland South"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Bridget Phillipson"} ], "uin" : "248663"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1123120", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department of Health and Social Care"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1123120/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
Both the NHS Long Term Plan and the \u2018Prevention is Better than Cure\u2019 vision document, published in November 2018, set out an ambition to encourage more people to make the most of their local pharmacy to stay well in the community. Within the prevention vision, the value of the advice and wide range of lifestyle and public health interventions being delivered by more than 9,500 community pharmacies already accredited as healthy living pharmacies was recognised. In line with this, the NHS Long Term Plan outlines an aim for voluntary sector partners, community pharmacists and general practitioner practices to work together to facilitate opportunities for the public to check on their health, through tests for high blood pressure and other high-risk conditions.<\/p>
The Department is now developing a Green Paper to further work up this ambition and plans for delivering it. This will be published later this year.<\/p>
Alongside this, the Department, with NHS England, has now begun negotiations to determine the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework for 2019/20 and beyond. These are confidential negotiations and as such we are unable to provide further detail at this time.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4455", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Seema Kennedy"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "South Ribble"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Seema Kennedy"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-04-30", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-04-30T14:35:25.477Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "17"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2019-04-25", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Pharmacy"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to expand existing public health and prevention services in community pharmacies in order to support the aims of the NHS Long Term Plan.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4046", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Bridget Phillipson"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Houghton and Sunderland South"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Bridget Phillipson"} ], "uin" : "247688"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1092658", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department of Health and Social Care"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1092658/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
Hospital pharmacy aseptic services can be provided under either:<\/p>
- a specific exemption for pharmacists within medicine legislation (derived from section 10 of the Medicines Act 1968); or<\/p>
- a specials manufacturing licence from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).<\/p>
<\/p>
Either approach requires services to meet the standards set by the MHRA within nationally recognised Good Manufacturing Practice. Licensed facilities are inspected by the MHRA and section 10 facilities are audited by regional quality assurance specialists under an Executive Letter, describing the arrangements for auditing unlicensed National Health Service aseptic units. The outcomes and risk ratings are reviewed through the NHS England Specialist Pharmacy Service.<\/p>
<\/p>
Commercial aseptic pharmacies must hold a specials manufacturing licence from the MHRA to supply compounded aseptic products to the NHS. The MHRA has its own inspection team who visit and review licensed facilities including both NHS and commercial. The MHRA has regulatory enforcement powers to close, restrict or require improvement in these licensed facilities.<\/p>
<\/p>
Capital spend to support individual pharmacy, aseptic or other NHS compounding services has historically been locally determined or has been part of wider whole hospital developments and, as such, there is no central repository of such spend.<\/p>
<\/p>
NHS Improvement has, through the initial work of reviewing NHS-provided aseptic services, identified a range of challenges linked to such services, including workforce. The next stage of this work will focus on workforce provision within the wider strategic review. This work does not include non-NHS organisations. Health Education England is undertaking a review that, linked with the NHS Improvement strategic service review, will identify the pharmacy technical services workforce issues across all grades and workforce groups.<\/p>
<\/p>
Aseptically compounded products are prepared from medicines that, in line with all medicines, are covered by the Department\u2019s European Union exit planning process and products would all be included within the six-week additional stockpiling being managed through pharmaceutical suppliers.<\/p>
<\/strong><\/p> <\/strong><\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4008", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Dame Caroline Dinenage"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Gosport"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Caroline Dinenage"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-03-28", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "groupedQuestionUIN" : [{"_value" : "235304"}
, {"_value" : "235305"}
, {"_value" : "235306"}
], "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-03-28T16:18:41.68Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "17"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2019-03-21", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Pharmacy"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on aseptic compounding pharmacies operated by (a) NHS organisations and (b) non-NHS organisations of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4382", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Daniel Zeichner"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Cambridge"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Daniel Zeichner"}
], "uin" : "235307"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1055310", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department of Health and Social Care"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1055310/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The Department has made no recent estimate of the quantity of drugs having to be disposed by National Health Service pharmacies.<\/p> <\/p> However, research commissioned by the Department to determine the scale, causes and costs of waste medicines in England and published in November 2010, found that the gross cost of unused prescription medicines in primary and community care in the NHS in England in 2009 was £300 million a year and that up to £150 million of this amount was avoidable.<\/p> <\/p> Much of the waste identified was not caused by failures on the part of either patients or professionals, but by factors such as illnesses progressing and treatment changes being required.<\/p> <\/p> It also found that the NHS was managing the problem of medicines wastage more robustly than ever before, wastage of medicines was not a systemic problem in the NHS and was no worse than other comparable countries.<\/p> <\/p> The report is available at the following link:<\/p> <\/p> http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1350234/1/Evaluation_of_NHS_Medicines_Waste__web_publication_version.pdf<\/a><\/p> <\/p> Nevertheless, NHS England is taking further action to promote medicines optimisation, such that patients receive the right medicine, at the right dosage, at the right time, and mitigate medicines wastage. This includes the deployment of clinical pharmacists in general practice and care homes to undertake structured medication reviews.<\/p> <\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4067", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Steve Brine"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Winchester"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Steve Brine"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-02-08", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-02-08T14:53:30.807Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "17"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2019-02-05", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Pharmacy"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the quantity of drugs having to be disposed of by NHS pharmacies; and what reasons are given for the disposal of those drugs.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/478", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Birkenhead"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Frank Field"}
], "uin" : "216984"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1055311", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department of Health and Social Care"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1055311/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The Department is concerned about wastage from unused medicines and is keen to minimise unnecessary extra costs. However, it does not promote the reuse of returned medicines that have left a pharmacy and returned unused by patients. This is because it is not possible to guarantee the quality of returned medicines on physical inspection alone. When medicines are returned from patients\u2019 homes, there is no way of knowing whether the medicines have been stored or handled appropriately. Some medicines may deteriorate if, for example, left too close to a radiator, in direct sunlight or exposed to the environment.<\/p> <\/p> As far as the United Kingdom\u2019s international development programme is concerned, the World Health Organization\u2019s \u2018Guidelines for Medicines Donations\u2019 updated in 2010 should be followed, which state that there should be no double standards in quality. If the quality of an item is unacceptable in the donor country, it is also unacceptable as a donation. The guidelines are available at the following link:<\/p> <\/p>