Managing Your Medicines Service

Oral Answers to Questions — Health – in the Northern Ireland Assembly at 3:15 pm on 31 January 2022.

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Photo of Mervyn Storey Mervyn Storey DUP 3:15, 31 January 2022

T5. Mr Storey asked the Minister of Health, in the light of the huge commitment from our community pharmacists, when he will make the medicines advice service a non-commissioned service and end the current situation whereby new patients cannot be brought into the service, given that, at a recent meeting of the all-party working group on community pharmacy, it was commented that platitudes will fail to deliver for patients who are currently not in receipt of the medicines advice service. (AQT 1995/17-22)

Photo of Robin Swann Robin Swann UUP

I thank the Member. My Department has been working with the Health and Social Care Board and Community Pharmacy Northern Ireland (CPNI), which the Member said he had met, on a commissioning plan for community pharmacy services. In 2021-22, the focus was on the provision of core services. That included dispensing, repeat dispensing, adherence and some activities and services that ensured access to medicines and advice for the public, including vulnerable groups and those receiving end-of-life care. That ensured that local pharmacy services were available to meet the needs of the people of Northern Ireland and to support the pressures in our health and social care services.

CPNI and the Health and Social Care Board have agreed a commissioning plan for the next three years that will cover 2022 to 2025. Subject to the agreement of a funding envelope, the three-year plan will aim to consolidate and build on the considerable advances that have been seen in community pharmacy services and the role of local pharmacists and pharmacy teams that the population have benefited from over the past two years. Looking to the future, it is important that we work together to build on the significant successes that community pharmacy has had and continues to have.

Photo of Mervyn Storey Mervyn Storey DUP

Given that this issue was particularly relevant during the pandemic, COVID moneys were made available. The Minister referred to a "funding envelope". He has received money. When will he use it to deliver that service?

Photo of Robin Swann Robin Swann UUP

On the wider scheme, the service that the Member talked about will be part of the 2022-25 funding package that has already been agreed. The funding envelope for that will be part of the overall Department of Health budget as well.

In regard to providing that service, between 1 December and the end of March, an offer of £5 million was made that, unfortunately, was not acceptable to Community Pharmacy at that stage, but my departmental officials, the Health and Social Care Board and Community Pharmacy continue to work together to bring about a resolution to the long-running dispute in regard to that specific service.

Photo of Alex Maskey Alex Maskey Sinn Féin 3:30, 31 January 2022

I call Justin McNulty, who is unlikely to get a supplementary question.