It looks like Rishi Sunak’s last day in the top job. It’s been a wild ride for the PM, who announced his entry into politics with a bold move that was staggering in its generosity. Four short years ago he was ‘Dishy Rishy’, the man with a blank chequebook in one hand and a tray of Nando’s in the other. As political waves surged around, he bobbed straight to the top.
We know where Rishi stands on pharmacy, because he told us. I don’t doubt his sincerity when it comes to his affection for pharmacy, and I do believe him when he says he would increase funding for Pharmacy First. But he won’t be around to approve it.
Wes Streeting has campaigned on health issues emotionally and efficiently for Labour, and we also know exactly what he thinks about pharmacy in detail.
Pharmacy First is not a flagship policy in the same way it is for the Tories. It’s a fundamentally Conservative free enterprise policy that rewards big operators. It looks uncomfortable for Labour to pursue it, particularly as the private sector is racing away with it while the NHS spins a familiar tangled web. GPs are also reticent to embrace it. It is stuttering along.
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Streeting communicates busily, he wants us to know he understands the issues and opportunities for pharmacy, but the build-up to an election is La-La land in terms of political promises.
The reality is that once all the razzmatazz has died down, there are sweeping regulatory and legislative changes affecting the fundamentals of how pharmacy operates swirling around. Some are in motion, some are in limbo, but they all demand close attention. When the noise dies down there is hard work to be done.
Chic profits
So once Streeting has delegated all this to a new pharmacy minister, what should they tackle first? And how can they deliver what the industry needs?
They need to be bold, clear and direct, writes Steve Brine in his regular column for C+D. The former pharmacy minister, chair of the recent health and social care select committee, and the driving force behind the launch of Pharmacy First, offers a fascinating read for anyone wondering what the first day as pharmacy minister would be like, and what the challenges will be.
There is the slow strangulation of funding. The disfunctional post-Brexit supply chain. Using teenage pharmacy technicians as entry level GPs. And rogue online operators doing brisk and profitable trade in chic and dangerous weight loss jabs.
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All crucial issues for the new minister to consider, pharmacists would point to others. Of course it’s never over until it’s over. There could be a shock today and Rishi Sunak will remain as PM. Imagine that.
But either way, the role of pharmacy minister is currently vacant. So to whoever is handed this plum role, and whatever colour you represent, C+D wishes you good luck.
