National Pharmacy Association responds to NHS 10 Year Plan

04 Jul 2025

Henry Gregg, Chief Executive of the National Pharmacy Association said the devil’s in the detail but there is a lot of opportunity for community pharmacy contractors having a vital role in the Neighbourhood Health Service – bringing health to the heart of the high street.

In the future people will be able to pop into an NHS community pharmacy and see a pharmacist for things like screening, check ups, HRT, weight management or ongoing care without lengthy waits, freeing their NHS colleagues in hospitals and GPs to do more. Neighbourhood care is in the DNA of pharmacies that are only a short walk from most people’s homes. Thinking very differently about how we use NHS pharmacies, GPs and hospitals to maximum effect can deliver nothing less than a health revolution with vast benefits for patients and taxpayers alike.

We are clear that we must protect and cherish the vital link between patient and pharmacist as we embrace new technology and automation in dispensing. That’s at the heart of neighbourhood services and the reason why community pharmacy is among the most trusted parts of the NHS. And we’re clear that additional clinical responsibilities must be accompanied by contractual reform and sustainable funding so pharmacies can offer the very best neighbourhood services for patients.

We have been highlighting the benefits of the leading role pharmacies play in Canadian neighbourhood healthcare over many years and have been arguing for a very significantly expanded role for community pharmacy in clinical services, testing and long term conditions management that is included in this plan. Offering more clinical services, increasing the role of pharmacies in the management of long-term conditions, complex medication regimes, treating obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol will be vital to their sustainability as well as providing improved services to patients.

It’s also good that the 10 year plan will also give community pharmacy a bigger role in prevention by expanding their role in vaccine delivery and in screening for risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. And it’s excellent that the plan pledges to securely join pharmacies into to the Single Patient Record, to help them provide a seamless service – and to give GPs sight of patient management. This is something we have long been calling for.

We’ll need to work closely with the Government on the rollout of physical neighbourhood health centres so they integrate closely and do not duplicate the services that pharmacies already offer in people’s neighbourhoods. Expanding the role of those pharmacies offers a good way to roll out many of these services at pace.

Henry Gregg – NPA Chief Executive

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