Groundbreaking independent report demonstrates the value of community pharmacy and the need for fresh thinking

By Pam Cameron MLA, Chair of the All-Party Group on Community Pharmacy

Carried out by leading global accountancy firm, KPMG, the report examines the value community pharmacy delivers both in terms of direct and indirect contributions to the health and social care system and the wider Northern Ireland economy. This new evidence demands action within the rebuilding programme to maximise the role of community pharmacy and ensure the sector’s full integration within new health service structures.

As Chair of the All-Party Group on Community Pharmacy, the report cements in my mind the multi-faceted, often intangible benefits, community pharmacy brings to patients, local communities, and our wider society. The report also brings clarity to the rising cost-base for community pharmacy contractors and the need for an appropriate level of sustained central investment to underpin services.

As the only open-access health care provider in primary care, during the Covid-19 pandemic, community pharmacy played a vital role, but like other sectors of health care, the sector’s workforce is left beleaguered from the challenge. I believe it is essential for Government to recognise this and put the necessary measures in place to allow our pharmacy network to move forward positively so that it is in a stronger position to lend its shoulder to the wheel when called upon to face future public health challenges.

The pandemic brought into sharp focus the tremendous agility of the pharmacy network. Despite unrelenting pressures community pharmacy teams stood strong, launching new services to support their patients. Pandemic services were implemented rapidly and professionally to the benefit of both the public and the health service The numbers speak for themselves with over 75,000 Covid vaccines administered within 10 weeks, over 60,000 emergency supplies of medicines being made over an 8-month period and typically 150,000 vulnerable patients having medicines delivered each month.

It is important to learn from this as we carefully consider future health service models. Fresh thinking is called for to move community pharmacy from the reserve list to occupy a seat front and centre within new health service structures. For this a sea change in attitudes is needed. Taking Covid vaccinations for example, everyone acknowledges the overall programme as a huge success, but many also ask why, as the only direct-access service provider at that time, community pharmacy was not included within the first phase of vaccination roll-out? This was arguably a missed opportunity and one we must learn from. For many a community pharmacy-centred vaccination service seems like the most sustainable, cost-effective solution for the health service moving forward.

The KPMG report makes it clear that for society to continue to reap its rewards from community pharmacy, a sustained investment and long-term plan is required to place the sector on a more secure footing. Pre-pandemic times saw community pharmacy grappling with a legacy of persistent funding and workforce difficulties, we now have a collective responsibility to ensure that we do not return to these dark times. I note and welcome the collaborative approaches during the pandemic period which led to Minister Swann securing additional investments to sustain the sector, however much of this was a short-term investment and it seems clear that now a longer-term view is called for to allow the sector to reset as it emerges from the pandemic challenge. Fundamentally a long-term plan is required which aligns recurrent investment to the costs of providing services, ensuring stability and sustainability of the sector into the future.

One cause for optimism in all of this has been the strong cross-party support for tackling the structural issues which exist within our health service. It brings me some comfort to see MLAs leave party allegiances to one side to work constructively together and push for solutions. This is something we need to see more of.

Back in January when the idea of establishing an All-Party Group for Community Pharmacy was first mentioned it seemed an ideal moment for MLAs to take a more focused and collective approach to the issues facing community pharmacy. This independent report by KPMG provides a clear context for future discussions.

Community pharmacy is the first point of contact with the health service for so many people in Northern Ireland. This report underscores the sector’s contribution to supporting patients and society both routinely and through the biggest public health crisis in living memory. The bottom line is that moving forward the community pharmacy network needs to be sufficiently resourced on a recurrent basis with its development underpinned by a long-term plan.

Our pandemic experience has taught us many important lessons and one of these is that we need a healthy, resilient community pharmacy sector to ensure it remains in place to meet future challenges and shifting population dynamics. It is important to treat this sector with the respect it deserves.