PwC Report Shows £3 billion Value of Community Pharmacy
Community pharmacy contributed £3 billion to the NHS, public sector and wider society in England in 2015, according to a report from PwC.
Commissioned by the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC), the report referred to 12 services provided by pharmacy including public health, self-care support and medicines support services. In those 12 services, pharmacy made 150 million interventions in 2015.
Sue Sharpe, Chief Executive of the PSNC, said: "Community pharmacies already provide services at the heart of their communities which people rely on all over the country. Today's research shows that those services more than pay their own way. This is an excellent foundation on which to build new services to address England's growing healthcare challenges."
Ian Strachan, Chair of the National Pharmacy Association, commented: "Those of us who work on the health service front line have always understood the huge value that community pharmacies deliver through their day-to-day work. It is heartening that this has now been recognised by a thorough and independent assessment. The three billion pound figure is over and above our core NHS activity of safely and promptly supplying medicines to the public. The message to the Government is clear - pharmacy is a valuable resource in the community that needs to be developed, not diminished."