NPA response to Prime Minister’s promise to invest billions more in the NHS

Responding to the announcement this week by the Prime Minister that the NHS will receive extra funding, linked to a new long term plan, NPA chair Nitin Sodha, said:

“It is abundantly clear that the NHS is in need of more resources.  It’s equally apparent that the potential of existing infrastructure and workforce needs to be more fully realised, to achieve long term sustainability for the health service.

“Any truly ambitious plan should therefore include community pharmacy, which has the potential to transform primary care, reduce medicines waste and massively improve access to NHS services.  Positioned in the heart of communities, pharmacies are also well placed to contribute much more to disease prevention and address health inequalities.

“An important question is, how will the poorest patients and communities benefit from the new investment promised?  Local pharmacies are unusual in the health service in being located close to where the health needs are greatest, in deprived areas, as well as more affluent areas.

“Along with the other national pharmacy bodies, we will be working to ensure that pharmacy has a place at the table when the key investment decisions are being made.”

The Prime Minister pledged that NHS England’s budget will increase by £20bn by 2023. NHS England has been tasked with devising a 10-year plan, looking at productivity, staffing and clinical priorities such as cancer survival and mental health.