Pharmacy’s efforts undervalued

The latest report by the UK Covid Inquiry into healthcare systems was published last month. It made clear that the NHS only just managed to hold together during the pandemic.

That’s why it is significant that the report records community pharmacy’s vital contribution as a first port of call for health advice during the crisis. It also praises pharmacies for the “vast undertaking” of delivering medicines to vulnerable older people isolating at home.

What’s more, the report explicitly notes the cuts to the sector’s funding and declining pharmacy numbers.

The NPA has called on the health secretary to act on the clear implications in this report of the underinvestment in community pharmacies. Pharmacies stepped up in the country’s hour of need and kept the wheels on the NHS – but without a considerable uplift in funding to stabilise the network, they may not be in a position to do the same if another public health crisis hits the UK.

Demoralised

About 18 months ago, as the then chair of the NPA, I had the privilege of giving evidence in person to the inquiry. I explained that a strong community pharmacy network is an essential element of healthcare systems across the UK.

But I also warned that community pharmacy was often overlooked and under-recognised during the pandemic – as it has been before and since. I described how community pharmacists felt demoralised and demotivated by the way in which other parts of the healthcare system appeared to be prioritised, including initial access to PPE and the Covid life assurance scheme.

Former health secretary Matt Hancock picked up the theme, admitting “my sense was also that the system was not looking after community pharmacists enough… They evidently were [an afterthought] as far as the system was concerned”.

Cast forward to April 2026, and the long wait for an announcement about a new community pharmacy funding settlement in England is further evidence of the same disregard. If financial arrangements can be put in place for our GP colleagues with ample time before April, there is no reason why the same courtesy could not have been afforded to pharmacies.

As the NPA recently said, this is not only a question of money; it is also about showing due respect to hard-working members of the NHS team, who should not be made to wait any longer for progress on bridging the funding gap.

Personal commitment

Returning to the topic of the Covid pandemic, the following account is a powerful reminder of the heroic contribution of pharmacy teams.

A married couple, both pharmacists, who owned a pharmacy, put their lives on hold for 10 weeks while they took it in turns to run the pharmacy. To ensure continuity of service, one stayed at home in isolation while the other went to work and stayed in a hotel. They only saw each other for one day a week when it was time to swap over.

Need I say more?