Keir Starmer commits to pharmacy expansion, sector demands urgent action on funding

At Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) on Wednesday, Sir Keir Starmer highlighted his government’s commitment to expanding the role of community pharmacy and
independent prescribing to improve access to general practice.

He said: “We are going to expand the role of community pharmacies and accelerate the roll-out of independent prescribers. We need much more care to be delivered
in local communities so that problems can be spotted earlier.”

The Prime Minister also talked about training more GPs and outlined the wider changes and improvements to the NHS that the government plans to deliver.

Janet Morrison, CEO of Community Pharmacy England (CPE) welcomed the government’s focus on community pharmacy.

She said: “We were very pleased to hear the Prime Minister talking so positively about community pharmacy at PMQs today, and we agree with him that community
pharmacies hold the answer to improving access to wider primary care.”