The Independent Pharmacies Association (IPA) this week (May 12) held a parliamentary event to celebrate independent community pharmacies, bringing together “over 40 pharmacy representatives and more than 50 MPs”, it has announced.
Speaking at the Westminster event, IPA chief executive Dr Leyla Hannbeck called for “greater government backing and investment in the sector” and stressed that independent pharmacies can “ease the burden on the NHS”.
Read more: IPA delivers ‘prescription’ to save the sector to Number 10
She said that “vaccination services and management of long-term conditions such as cardiovascular disease (CVD) should be the domain of community pharmacies as part of the government’s NHS reform”.
The reception “marked a major moment of engagement between frontline pharmacy professionals and policymakers” and celebrated “the vital role independent community pharmacies play in England and Wales”, the IPA added.
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And it said that it hopes it will “mark the beginning of stronger collaboration between community pharmacies and Parliament, ensuring independent providers are empowered to take on a broader role in preventive care and chronic disease management”.
Hosted by former health minister Lord Markham, the event was attended by pharmacy minister Stephen Kinnock who delivered a keynote speech “praising the pharmacy sector for its essential contribution to the NHS and local communities”, the IPA added.
The reception featured a “live health check clinic” offering blood pressure monitoring and lipid testing for attendees, it said.
Pharmacies are a “lifeblood”
“It was fantastic to see so many pharmacy representatives and MPs from across the UK here in Parliament,” Hannbeck said, adding that “pharmacies are the lifeblood of our healthcare sector and there is so much more we can deliver with the right support”.
“We can help free up GP appointments, save the NHS money and make our health system more efficient - without compromising quality, access or outcomes,” she added.
Read more: IPA warns ‘wrecking ball’ budget will cost sector over £125m
It comes after the body penned a joint letter with the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) in March stressing that their “central concern” was that the “dire financial state of community pharmacies…poses a real and present threat to health services”.
The IPA also warned in November that the rise in employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs) and national living wage would cost the community pharmacy sector more than £125 million.
