Teenagers could deliver prescriptions under Tory national service plans

Conservative Party plans to introduce national service in the UK could see 18-year-olds delivering prescriptions, the Prime Minister has said.

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It remains unclear how the plans would work in practice

In a video address posted across social media on Sunday (May 26), Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that his party will introduce “a bold new model of national service for 18-year-olds” if re-elected on July 4.

He said that this could be spent “either in a competitive full-time military commission over 12 months or with one weekend per month volunteering in roles within the community, like delivering prescriptions and food to infirm people or in search and rescue”.

However, it remains unclear how the plans would work in practice.

Read more: Pharmacy minister Andrea Leadsom to stand down as MP

In a thread posted on X the same day, Sunak added that young people would get “the life-changing chance to learn from the best of the best”, including “our inspirational NHS staff”.

“The COVID-19 pandemic showed the value of civic service to individuals and our country as a whole,” he said.

Introducing national service will build on “this spirit of community” and “enable young people to give back to the communities that raised them”, he added.

Read more: General election: CPE ‘deeply concerned’ over prospect of further contract delays

It comes as a new pharmacy minister is guaranteed after the July 4 general election as incumbent Dame Andrea Leadsom has signalled that she will not be standing as a candidate in a letter to the Prime Minister.

Meanwhile, the pharmacy negotiator last week said that it is “accelerating” core contract negotiations after the Prime Minister announced a general election on Wednesday (May 22).

It said that “the prospect of more delays is deeply concerning for pharmacy owners who urgently need good news”.

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Kate Bowie

Read more by Kate Bowie

Kate Bowie joined C+D as a digital reporter in August 2023 after graduating from a master’s in journalism at City, University of London. She began covering the primary care beat at the end of 2022, when she carried out several health investigations focused on staffing issues, NHS funding and health inequalities.

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