Elen Jones stands smiling in front of a purple background — (RPS)

Government responds to Pharmacy Inquiry report

Published: 10 January 2025

This news story was published when the organisation was the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

The Health and Social Care Committee has published the government’s response to its inquiry report on pharmacy.

The new Committee chair Layla Moran MP has noted that before the general election cross-party Committee had called on the government to act ‘at pace’ to address the pressing issues on funding, medicine shortages and challenges in the workforce.

Elen Jones, RPS director for England and Wales, said:

“Pharmacists and pharmacy teams play a crucial role across the health service and this was rightly recognised during the Committee’s inquiry. With the government’s response stating that pharmacy is a ‘key priority’, words must now be backed by action in the 10-year health plan and new workforce plan expected later this year.

“At the same time, pharmacists and pharmacy teams are under significant pressure and many will share the Committee Chair’s concern that additional support is needed now.

“I welcome the government’s commitment to make the most of the next generation of pharmacist prescribers, which will help deliver its ambition to treat people closer to home. Unlocking the potential of pharmacist prescribing will need sustained investment in IT systems, workforce and a prescribing budget.

“As the government looks to develop a ‘neighbourhood health service’, I would urge ministers to act on the Committee’s recommendation to widen access to PrEP via community pharmacy and ensure that this is delivered through the forthcoming HIV Action Plan.

“As pharmacists play a more clinical role in the health service, our evidence to the Committee highlighted the injustice facing pharmacy students excluded from the Learning Support Fund. If we are to attract and retain the pharmacists we need to meet demand, this inequity at the very start of their career journey must be addressed.

“Patient groups, pharmacists and other health professionals continue to warn about the impact of medicines shortages and I welcome the Committee’s focus on this issue. We have long called for pharmacists to be able to make appropriate substitutions to help manage medicines shortages — this was set out in our evidence to the Inquiry and reiterated in our comprehensive report. With the government response accepting that there may be occasions where it is appropriate to enable further flexibility, we look forward to progressing this further.”

This news story was published when the organisation was the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. Professor Amira Guirguis, Chair of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s (RPS) Science and Research Committee and RPS Fellow, has been appointed to the prestigious Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD). The Advisory Council is an independent expert body that advises government on the control of dangerous or otherwise harmful drugs, including their classification and scheduling under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and its regulations. Paul Bennett, CEO of RPS, said: “We are delighted and very proud of Professor Guirguis’s appointment to the ACMD, which provides advice to government, carries out in-depth enquiries and influences drugs policy in the UK. “This appointment acknowledges her expertise, dedication and commitment to evidence-based science at the highest level. I’d like to offer my congratulations and wish her every success in this important role.” Find out more about the RPS Science and Research Committee More about the ACMD Read more RCPharm news stories

Pharmacists must not be criminalised over puberty blocking hormones, warns RPS

31 July 2024

This news story was published when the organisation was the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. In light of confirmation by Judicial Review that the emergency prohibition order for puberty blocking hormones remains valid, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society is concerned about the potential criminalisation of pharmacists who dispense these medicines and calling for patients to have timely access to specialist care pathways for support. The emergency prohibition makes it a criminal offence to supply puberty blockers outside the terms of the order. RPS is concerned this may inadvertently result in pharmacists declining to supply these medicines at all for fear of prosecution, which will negatively affect patient care. For example, these medicines can still be legitimately supplied to under 18s for very early onset of puberty (usually caused by another condition), to people under 18 with gender dysphoria already in treatment, and to people aged 18 and over. The order also criminalises pharmacists who unknowingly break the law through no fault of their own, such as when a patient misleads the pharmacist about their clinical condition, age or identity. The speed at which the ban was issued could also mean there are some pharmacists who are not yet aware of it and inadvertently dispense a prescription. Normally a ban has an advance ‘run-in’ period so healthcare professionals can be made aware of it and understand their responsibilities. The absence of advance notice means a prosecution could take place which would not be in the public interest. RPS has raised concerns about the potential criminalisation of pharmacists with the Department of Health and Social Care on behalf of the profession and civil servants recognise this risk. We urge the Government to consider a solution which protects patients but doesn’t unfairly criminalise pharmacists. It is helpful that the Judicial Review has shone a spotlight on the need to support children and young people who were prescribed puberty blockers prior to the banning order and are now struggling to access UK registered health services. It is challenging for pharmacy teams to support children and young people with gender incongruence and gender dysphoria due to the lack of comprehensive regulatory or clinical guidelines. This means there is often no easily accessible referral pathway* to link people to the treatment and care they need, including mental health support. In line with the Cass Review, RPS is calling on the Government to provide timely access to specialist care pathways to support patients who are awaiting consultation, or who cannot access medicines they were previously taking, so they receive the necessary care. Read our full position statement. *In England, Wales and Scotland, current NHS advice is for pharmacists to refer patients back to their GP. In England, GPs can then refer patients, if appropriate, to the National Referral Support Service for CYP Gender Services, where patients should be able to access to mental health support if they wish while waiting to be seen by the specialist service. In Scotland, patients can be referred to gender identity services by their GP. These services are located within NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde, NHS Lothian, NHS Highland and NHS Grampian. Further information and contact details can be found on the National Gender Identity Clinical Network for Scotland website. In Wales, GPs can refer patients to the Welsh Gender service. These referral services all have extensive waiting lists. Read more RCPharm news stories.