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Question for Department of Health and Social Care

UIN HL11785, tabled on 26 November 2018

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to use community pharmacies as the first port of call for patients with minor ailments.

Answered on

6 December 2018

National Health Service leaders, clinicians and experts are working to develop the NHS long-term plan to ensure that the NHS, including community pharmacy, can cope with the serious demand and cost pressures it faces in the future. The Government has been clear that prevention of ill-health is one of the six principles it expects to underpin the long-term plan.

Community pharmacies have an important contribution to make in preventing ill health and supporting self-care. The Government is already encouraging local pharmacies to play a more significant role in helping people stay well in the community and in keeping pressure off general practitioners and secondary care. We want to encourage people to use pharmacies more and think ‘pharmacy first’, as advocated by our Help Us Help You campaign. Part of this involves an important shift in emphasis towards dispensing health and wellbeing advice, not just prescriptions.