Cash boost welcomed for community pharmacies

THE borough’s MP has welcomed a £300 million cash boost to help community pharmacies.

Dr Luke Evans, MP for Bosworth, was pleased to see the funding injection to ensure they can provide essential services during the coronavirus outbreak.

Pharmacy contractors were paid £200 million on April 1, alongside their normal monthly payments from the NHS Business Services Authority, and a further £100 million will be allocated on May 1.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has also reduced the number of services that community pharmacies are required to deliver to allow them to prioritise the most important tasks, but they will continue to receive their full NHS funding.

They will not be required to pilot new services or carry out non-critical administrative tasks.

DHSC is also working to increase workforce capacity and flexibility, with calls to those pharmacy professionals who have recently left professional registers to return.

Dr Evans said: “Coronavirus has placed an enormous pressure on our community pharmacies, which is why I am really pleased the Government is giving them a £300 million cash boost to help support the vital role they play as we deal with this disease.

“Whilst businesses and venues have been instructed to remain closed – pharmacies are an important exception to this, they can remain open and continue to operate as normally as possible.

“For people who are shielding or selfisolating, pharmacies can deliver prescriptions to their door, so that everyone can get the medicine they need without breaching social distancing guidelines.

“Pharmacy staff are right on the front line of dealing with unprecedented demand, it’s right that not only do we thank them, but actually put supportive measures in place.

“This funding will go a long way doing that.”

Jo Churchill, minister for Health, said: “Every day, community pharmacies carry out critical work to protect the health of the public and support the wider NHS. This is even more important now as we face this unprecedented time.

“We hugely value the role of the community pharmacy, which is why we are backing them with £300 million of advanced funding to support them as we continue to assess the full additional impact of coronavirus on community pharmacy.

“To further support pharmacies, we have reduced the services they need to deliver during Covid-19 but have maintained their full funding.” to