Community pharmacies in Lincolnshire to get funding uplift

It comes after real terms cuts of more than 30 per cent over the past decade, and an independent NHS England commissioned economic analysis published last Friday highlighting that almost 100 per cent of pharmacies receive less income than full economic costs of running their pharmacy,

Community Pharmacy Lincolnshire, the representative organisation for community pharmacies in the county, see the new settlement as a step-change for the sector and a vote of confidence in Community Pharmacy’s potential from the new Government, whilst also noting there is more work to be done moving forwards.

Dr Tracey Latham-Green, Chief Officer of CPL said: “We are happy to see recognition of the scale of the funding gap in community pharmacy and that the government is taking a first step towards sustainability, so that community pharmacies can continue to support patients in their local communities, assisting colleagues such as GPs to provide appropriate treatment to patients across the healthcare system in Lincolnshire.”

Paul Jenks, Chair of CPL added: “We are pleased to continue to help patients both with their regular medication and dispensing needs, but also through services such as free blood pressure checks to anyone over 40, the Pharmacy Contraception Service, being able to start patients off on oral contraception for the first time or provide a health check and resupply of existing contraceptive medication and Pharmacy First, where patients in certain age groups seeking help for sore throats, earache in children, sinusitis, infected insect bites, impetigo, shingles, and urinary tract infections in women, can walk into a pharmacy and be offered a consultation with the pharmacist.”

Community pharmacies are there for more than just prescriptions - see www.lincolnshirepharmacies.co.uk for more details.