Labour Party Conference Sept 24

A Missed Opportunity in Kier Starmer’s Vision for the NHS

Kier Starmer’s speech at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool offered a broad vision for the NHS’s future and, in my opinion, lacked any significant detail. While Starmer and Wes Streeting both touched on key issues like GP appointments, waiting lists, and a shift towards preventive care, the specifics on how the Government intend to achieve these goals were notably absent. This feels like a missed opportunity, not least given the growing importance of pharmacies in treating people close to home and in doing so, alleviating NHS pressures.

Community Pharmacy - An Untapped Resource

As the NHS faces unprecedented strain, community pharmacies are a crucial, underutilised resource. It also must be recognised that the network is underfunded, to varying degrees across the four UK countries. Pharmacies can offer much-needed support through the opportunities that independent prescribing will undoubtably bring and services that provide minor ailment care, and preventive interventions—areas that could significantly see community pharmacy as the first port of call to access NHS care and as a bi-product ease the burden on GPs and hospitals. To unlock this potential, pharmacies need more than just political rhetoric.

Wes Streeting’s call for moving the NHS from “sickness to prevention” aligns with what community pharmacies are well-positioned to deliver. However, for this to truly succeed, we need concrete policy decisions that support it and finances to deliver it. Without these changes, community pharmacy will continue to be an underused resource and primary and secondary care will only face increasing challenges.

Empowering Pharmacies for the Future

At Numark, we are committed to helping pharmacies thrive in this evolving healthcare landscape. Our 12 principles for the model of community pharmacy practice offer a comprehensive framework to support pharmacies in delivering high-quality care, improving business resilience, and embracing new opportunities afforded by independent prescribing. The principles emphasise a more significant role for community pharmacies in clinical service delivery, driven by technological advancements and the utilisation of data. They provide a roadmap for community pharmacies to expand their services, improve patient outcomes, and address rising healthcare demands as an integral part of a broader healthcare ecosystem.

With these principles, Numark will ensure that pharmacies are well-equipped to deliver essential services, navigate the challenges of the healthcare sector, and drive innovation. They will serve as a framework to allow pharmacies to deliver against England’s NHS 10-year plan once the detail is clear. We would urge all community pharmacies to consider how we prepare for and support reform because I am sure it will come, it has to.? I remain optimistic that community pharmacy will succeed as I know the level of skill and professionalism that exists across the Numark estate.

The Path Forward

As Labour pledges a transformative future for the NHS, it is crucial that community pharmacy is given the recognition and support it needs to play a central role in healthcare delivery. Starmer and Streeting’s vision for the NHS must include empowering pharmacies to fully utilise their clinical expertise.

Our 12 principles provide the foundation for pharmacies to rise to this challenge. By equipping pharmacies with the right tools and resources, we can ensure they are successful businesses that deliver the highest standard of care while easing the strain on other parts of the healthcare system.

The future of healthcare must be collaborative, and community pharmacies should stand at the forefront, not on the sidelines, of this transformation.