Pharmacies at 'perilous' risk as funding for government's flagship scheme falls short

While many believe the Pharmacy First scheme makes sense the pharmacists carrying it out says the funding does not cover the costs, ITV News Correspondent Rebecca Barry reports

The majority of pharmacy owners say they’re not getting enough money to deliver the government’s flagship Pharmacy First scheme, ITV News can reveal.

Research conducted by The Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies has been shared exclusively with ITV News.

70% of pharmacy owners surveyed said they did not think there is sufficient remuneration for the scheme.

Despite the government's promises Ian Strachan, who owns three pharmacies, said it was the "worst period he had ever known" in the industry.

He told ITV News: "We've been bled dry of funding and we are at the point now where that funding doesn't support your input costs and I think we are in a very perilous place right now and the real people who will lose out from this is patients."

In January the government announced that 10,000 pharmacies in England would start treating people for seven common common illnesses without the need for a GP appointment or prescription.

Pharmacists can treat patients for sinusitis, sore throat, earache, infected insect bite, impetigo, shingles, and some urinary tract infections.

At the time Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised the Pharmacy First service, backed by £645 million, would help cut waiting lists by freeing up 10 million GP appointments a year.

But ITV News can reveal many pharmacy owners believe the funding they receive does not match the time and clinical decision-making required to deliver it.

Pharmacies received an initial fixed payment of £2,000 each for providing the scheme, plus £15 per consultation and a monthly fixed payment of £1,000 if they do a minimum number of consultations.

The Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies surveyed 300 pharmacy owners, who each own between two and 300 branches.

70.8% do not believe the remuneration for the service is sufficient, 20.8% say it’s too early to say and just 8.3% responded saying it was okay.

Pharmacists say the sector is already chronically underfunded and has a shortfall of over £1.2 billion in its core funding.

They say appointments can take up to 20 minutes of a pharmacist’s time, meaning they operate at a loss once salary and overheads are factored in.

They also raise concerns about the target of delivering 30 Pharmacy First consultations per month to qualify for the fixed monthly payment of £1000.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said Pharmacy First has been widely welcomed by the pharmacy sector and "will improve healthcare access for people across the country".

"It will also free up an anticipated 10 million GP appointments a year and so far 98% of pharmacies have signed up to deliver it.

“We have made £645 million of new funding available to support the expansion of community pharmacy services, which comes on top of the £2.6bn pharmacies already receive per year.

“The payment arrangements for consultations were agreed with Community Pharmacy England.”

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