When Mr Brine was appointed pharmacy minister in June 2017, the sector was still “extremely raw” after the failed judicial reviews against the 2016 decision to cut pharmacy funding in England by 12%, he told delegates of the Sigma Pharmaceuticals conference in London earlier this month (December 1).

“For me as the new minister picking up the pieces, [the funding cut] was like a heat-seeking, morale-beating weapon, which ran counter to so many of the things that ministers had been saying around primary care, capacity and prevention – all of which were in my portfolio.”

There was “absolutely a conversation to be had around services versus reward, and the establishment fee in particular, which undoubtedly was looking very dated in the context of a modern NHS”, said Mr Brine, who kept his seat as Conservative MP for Winchester in the general election last week.

“But, I could tell there had been far too little conversation actually taking place with the sector.”

Mr Brine – who resigned from government in March over Brexit – praised Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) chief executive Simon Dukes for being a “breath of fresh air to the sector”, at a time when the “government and PSNC desperately needed a reset”.

While “many were disappointed to see” funding remain at a reduced level of £2.59 billion for the next five years, the new pharmacy contract provides the sector with “continuity”, Mr Brine said.

Making the case for pharmacy in government

The former pharmacy minister – whose address at the conference was embargoed until after the general election – also stressed how “ministers are only part of the story”.

“There are so many other pieces of the jigsaw, not least NHS England,” Mr Brine said.

“I had to constantly make and remake the case about what an essential part of the NHS pharmacy is, working day in, day out on improving outcomes for patients and communities and taking the pressure off other parts of the NHS.”

While the new five-year funding contract marks the beginning of transformation of the sector, “seeing community pharmacies play a much expanded role in the delivery of services across prevention, urgent care, and medicine safety”, he acknowledged concerns “including from me” that the sector “could just be asked to do a lot of extra work for no more money”.

“A really crucial part of the deal is the key agreement to review the situation on an annual basis each autumn.

“These built-in reviews will provide invaluable opportunities for PSNC to monitor how it's working, and to make the case strongly for further investments in the sector,” Mr Brine said.