It comes as the government announces a new funding deal with Community Pharmacy England after previous warnings the sector was facing a ‘financial cliff edge’
Women will be able to get the morning-after pill for free from pharmacies in England to end an “unfair postcode lottery”.
Emergency contraception is free of charge from most GPs and sexual health clinics – but can cost up to £30 from pharmacies. Health minister Stephen Kinnock said: “Women across England face an unfair postcode lottery when seeking emergency contraception, with access varying dramatically depending on where they live.”
It comes as the government announces a new funding deal with Community Pharmacy England. The National Pharmacy Association, which represents 6,000 independent community pharmacies, previously warned pharmacists were facing a “financial cliff edge” next month.
The Department of Health and Social Care said it had agreed to a final funding settlement for 2024/25 – worth an extra £106 million compared to the previous year. Ministers are also writing off £193million worth of debt for community pharmacy owners.
It added patients will receive more services as a result of the “record investment”. As well as making the morning-after pill free of charge, patients suffering from depression will also be offered support at pharmacies when prescribed antidepressants.
It is hoped the reforms will take pressure off GPs. Health Minister Stephen Kinnock said: “Community pharmacists are at the heart of local healthcare, and we want them to play a bigger role as we shift care out of hospitals and into the community through our Plan for Change.
“We’re working to turn around a decade of underfunding and neglect that has left the sector on the brink of collapse. This package of record investment and reform is a vital first step to getting community pharmacies back on their feet and fit for the future.
“The agreement shows how this government is working in partnership with community pharmacy to deliver more care for patients closer to their home, freeing up GP appointments, and catching ill-health earlier and preventing it in the first place.”
Nick Kaye, chairman of the NPA, said: “After a decade of 40% cuts to their funding that has left the pharmacy network on its knees, it is good to see a concrete sign that ministers want to support pharmacies.
“No one wants to reduce services through protest action so we’ll look carefully at the detail and consult our members, who are facing substantial cost increases from April 1, to understand what this means for the future of their services so we can recommend next steps.
“The Government inherited an intolerable situation after more than a decade of real-terms cuts and today’s settlement is a step forward. However, the truth is that because of a decade of neglect, it also falls a long way short of the NHS’s own estimates of the true cost of providing pharmacy services.”
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