The "remarkable and beneficial" role of the community pharmacist is under threat as priorities change in the reformed NHS, Labour MP Stephen Pound has warned parliament.

All was not "sweetness and light in the well-lit and warm world of the community pharmacy", Mr Pound said, as he raised concerns about pharmacy's place in the new structure during a parliamentary debate on community pharmacy on Monday (April 15).

With the NHS budgets now in the hands of CCGs and local authorities, both groups were already commissioning services from pharmacists. And for every new service "there is a very real possibility an existing one will be ended", he said, as local authorities would look to address their priorities.

All is not "sweetness and light in the well-lit and warm world of the community pharmacy", Labour MP Stephen Pound claimed	More on commissioning NHS reforms causing 'total chaos', say pharmacists CCGs are 'PCTs in drag', Roy Lilley tells Summit John D'Arcy: The NHS is a maze – let's not get lost
	Mr Pound said he expected to see pharmacy-led services decline in 2014 during the transition of commissioning duties from PCTs to CCGs and health and wellbeing boards.

"If there is one thing we all agree on, it is how the community pharmacist has earned the trust of patients and the patient community. It has been so remarkable and so beneficial that it cannot be threatened," Mr Pound stressed.

He also praised the "miracle" that had occurred in pharmacies in north-west London as a result of the "extraordinary revolution" in the range of services that community pharmacy now offered, but said he was concerned about the sector's place in the new NHS structure.

Mr Pound argued that the process pharmacists now have to go through to seek reimbursement from two sets of commissioners could have a "catastrophic" effect on the provision of services.

The complexity of these payment arrangements could be a barrier to the provision of services by "preventing good people from doing good work", he added.

Mr Pound also raised concerns that there was no pharmacy representation on health and wellbeing boards, even though the input of pharmacists could be "a catalyst for constructive change in primary care".

Responding to Mr Pound, care services minister Norman Lamb MP agreed that community pharmacies "help people to live healthier day-to-day lives".

New commissioners needed to be "fully aware of pharmacy's potential", Mr Lamb said, and the government's pharmacy and public health forum was looking at how the profession could enhance its role.

Mr Lamb also said that chief pharmaceutical officer for England Keith Ridge was already part of NHS England's senior management team and the commissioning body was looking at how its regional and area teams could use the advice of pharmacists.

"I am sure that the existing local pharmaceutical committees and the new local pharmacy networks will be more than willing to offer advice and support to commissioners. I hope that they will do so, and that they will make the case to the commissioners that they can improve care," he added.

Avicenna chief executive Salim Jetha told C+D that pharmacy had evidence and heard many times the support for pharmacies.

"What more is required of us to turn our potential contribution into DH-led action points for better patient outcomes?" he asked.

How can pharmacy ensure it gets enough commissions from CCGs and local authorities? Comment below or email us at [email protected] You can also find C+D on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook