Anne Main MP attended and spoke at the launch of ResPublica’s new report into community pharmacies, Heartbeats on the High Street: how Community Pharmacy can transform Britain’s Health, Wealth and Wellbeing.

The well-attended event in parliament brought together the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), who are based in St Albans, as well as experts from across the health industry. 

The St Albans MP said that she wanted to ensure that we properly, ‘utilise the great potential of our pharmacies’, but first we needed the clarity on exactly what services that pharmacies would be taking over.  

‘If pharmacies are to deliver new services, there would have to be a proper funding stream to reflect that,’ said Mrs Main.  ‘Pharmacies just now are an untapped resource, so further integration with the NHS makes complete sense.’

‘From conversations that I’ve had with local pharmacists, it is clear that they are willing to take on new responsibilities and have the capacity to do so.  This would take some of the pressure off NHS front-line services.’ 

Speaking after the event, Anne said that, ‘we need to properly assess how further integration would happen.  The NPA are doing a terrific job of finding ways in which this can be done, and I welcome the new report by ResPublica that is trying to find solutions.’

Earlier this year Anne led a debate in parliament, stating that ‘we need to promote more of a “pharmacy first culture” for minor ailments to take the pressure off frontline services,’ and that any reforms, ‘must not extinguish the light of the smaller pharmacy.’

Participants:

Sir Kevin Barron MP, Chair - All Party Parliamentary Group on Pharmacy
Dr Lawrence Brad, RCGP Clinical Representative
Heather Henry, Queen’s Nurse and Chair, New NHS Alliance
Andrew McCracken, Head of Communications, National Voices
Graham Phillips, Superintdendent, Manor Pharmacy Group
Dr James Noyes, Report Author, ResPublica (Chair)