Labour clarifies it wants to bring hospital pharmacies 'in-house'

The Labour party wants to bring hospital pharmacy services “in-house” if it wins the general election, it has clarified following comments from shadow chancellor John McDonnell.

LabourParty_shutterstock_620x413_632387273.jpg
Labour: We will unwind internal privatisation of NHS services

The nationalisation of community pharmacies is not the Labour party’s official policy and Mr McDonnell was not referring to this during his interview with LBC journalist Iain Dale on November 5, the Labour party told C+D this morning.

During a discussion on the increasing involvement of the private sector in the NHS, Mr McDonnell was asked whether he wanted to nationalise all pharmacies. In response, he said the Labour party wants “to make sure that our services are in-house”.

After initially declining to comment, the Labour party told C+D that Mr McDonnell was alluding to hospital outpatient dispensing services, which NHS trusts can currently outsource to third party companies.

“We will unwind internal privatisation of NHS services by bringing contracts back in-house as they expire and repealing the Health and Social Care Act,” a party spokesperson said.

It also reiterated its intention to set up a “state-owned generic drugs manufacturer to manufacture drugs cheaply for the NHS”, which Jeremy Corbyn first announced at the party’s annual conference in September.

Listen back to the LBC interview with the shadow chancellor.

Sign in or register for free

Latest from News

Nick Kaye: ‘The NPA isn’t in any mood to back down’

 
• By 
 • comment

Chair of the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) Nick Kaye has said that he “definitely wouldn't be thinking about a U-turn” on collective action, amid “real anger” over a lack of April cash.

DH to place ‘explicit restrictions’ on funded blood pressure checks

  • comment

The pharmacy hypertension service specification is set to be updated to exclude patients who request “frequent measurement of their blood pressure”.

CPE hiring independent chair at £50k for 3-4 days a month

 
• By 
 • comment

CPE is recruiting a new independent chair to “provide strategic leadership” – the position pays £50k a year and only requires a “time commitment” of 3-4 working days per calendar month.

More from Funding

All the headlines: Community pharmacy funding deal

 
• By 
 • comment

Find out everything you need to know about the government’s plans for community pharmacy – as outlined in this week’s long-awaited pharmacy funding deal.

Pharmacy stop-smoking service expands to ‘non-registered’ staff

 
• By 
 • comment

The new pharmacy contract has expanded who can deliver the smoking cessation service, as well as adding the provision of two drugs via PGDs.