What does the new Labour Government mean for UK pharmacy?

Having won the general election, the Labour party will today start the task of forming a new Government. But what does a Labour Government mean for UK community pharmacy? Here our Head of Marketing, Shelley Dyer, takes a look at what we can potentially expect in the coming months.

Yesterday’s Labour victory means a fresh intake of MPs and a new cabinet tasked with running the country alongside Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer. While there may be some minor tweaks, we can expect the new cabinet line up to mirror that of Labour’s previous shadow cabinet. And that means Wes Streeting MP stepping into the role of Secretary of State for Health.

The MP for Ilford North has a huge challenge ahead of him as he inherits an NHS in crisis, suffering from budgetary challenges, staff shortages and huge waiting lists coupled with an ageing population and evolving healthcare needs. On the face of it, having been shadow health secretary for over three years, Mr Streeting has been vocal on his support for community pharmacy and the role they may play in our future healthcare system.

A front door to the NHS

Mr Streeting has publicly criticised the number of pharmacies that have been forced to close over the last five years. He has spoken about his desire to reverse this trend so community pharmacy is accessible for all patients and become the forefront of the health service. His vision, he claims, is to ensure primary care comes to the fore, “shifting the centre of gravity” away from hospitals. He has said that community pharmacy would be a beneficiary of this shift which he believes will lead to better outcomes for patients. But this comes with a note of caution, he says this won’t be a quick fix, it is something that that will take time and it could be up to a decade in the making before this pioneering vision for the NHS is realised. This may do little to reassure many community pharmacies who are already at breaking point. For those pharmacies, time is very much of the essence.

The all-important issue of funding

It’s no secret that the community pharmacy funding contract has not been fit for purpose for some time now. And contractors are currently operating with no contract in place at all. While conversations have been ongoing in the run up to the election, we can expect to see Community Pharmacy England pushing to get a new pharmacy contract in place with the new Government. They will however have to work hard to have their voice heard against others in the health sector facing their own challenges.

During his time as shadow health secretary, Mr Streeting has said that there needs to be a shift in the proportion of NHS funding that goes into primary care, including community pharmacy. But he has also said this would be done in a “managed way” and over time – so no quick fix here either. He’s also been clear that in his view funding alone will not be enough and says what is really needed is reform. The Labour election manifesto, unsurprisingly, mirrors this view with no explicit promise of additional funding, just an acknowledgement that “investment alone” will not fix the problems facing the NHS. Instead it promises “fundamental reform” that will create an NHS fit for the future. This is concerning because we all know that reform takes time and without an immediate increase in funding and a contract that is fit for purpose, then many more pharmacies risk shutting their doors for good. Community Pharmacy England could face a challenge when it comes to persuading the new Health Secretary to provide a good deal for pharmacy quickly.

Neighbourhood Health Service

Labour want the NHS to become a Neighbourhood Health Service which places more care in the communities that people live in. They see community pharmacies as key to achieving this mission. They want to make real use of pharmacists’ years of training, expertise and experience so that they can work at the top of their clinical licence.

Central to this vision is the desire to create a Community Pharmacy Prescribing Service, cited in their election manifesto, which will grant more pharmacists independent prescribing rights “where clinically appropriate”. Mr Streeting would also like to see a role for pharmacists in helping patients manage long-term conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and high blood pressure. He’s also keen to tackle the “serious” issue of over prescribing and polypharmacy. This is all positive, but Mr Streeting and the Labour party need to realise that any new asks of pharmacy cannot be put in place without a meaningful funding contract that addresses current and future challenges.

A role for technology and innovation

Mr Streeting has said he expects pharmacies to play a “big part” in developing the medicines and treatments of the future with Labour planning to set up national clinical trial registries which send alerts to patients through the NHS app. It is hoped that this will make it easier for the life sciences sector to recruit candidates for clinical trials.

This is just one example of how much the MP for Ilford North values technology and innovation and the importance he places on it when it comes to the future of the NHS. He has spoken previously about his desire to move from an analogue health service to one that is “digitally and data driven”. In his speech at the last Labour party conference Mr Streeting said: “One of the biggest opportunities we have is the revolution taking place in medical science and technology”. He went on to say that Labour Government would arm the NHS with state-of-the-art equipment and new technology. Let’s see if he lives up to that promise!

It's clear that as he steps into the role of Health Secretary, as expected, Wes Streeting will have a full in tray waiting for him and a mountain to climb. He seems to understand the value of community pharmacy, the challenges they currently face and the monumental role that technology can play in elevating the NHS. However the plans he has outlined to date seem to be visionary and longer term. What is really needed right now for community pharmacy is urgent action to address the challenges they face to prevent further closures. Without a thriving community pharmacy sector in place, Mr Streeting’s long-term vision risks failing before it even gets off the ground.

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