The Independent Pharmacies Association (IPA) has written to the new health secretary Wes Streeting asking to meet with him to discuss investment into primary care “to ease the pressure off other areas of the NHS”.

The IPA teamed up with the NHS Confederation’s primary care network, the British Dental Association and the Association of Optometrists to co-publish a letter calling for “sustainable investment” and resources into primary care and local community services.

Read more: IPA delivers ‘prescription’ to save the sector to Number 10

The letter, published this week (July 30), said that Streeting’s appointment is “an unprecedented opportunity for change”, adding that the NHS has “suffered at the hands of recent administrations”.

IPA chief executive Dr Leyla Hannbeck also said in a statement that this is “a golden opportunity to reshape primary care around patients and their communities”, with “the leading healthcare bodies…united as never before”.

“Without change, we face further disintegration of vital primary care services and a decrease in health outcomes across society,” she added.

Read more: Pharmacy funding talks ‘unlikely’ before September, says CPE

The letter said that the “lack of sustainable funding” for the Pharmacy First scheme in England has caused an increase in “financial and workload pressures” on pharmacists.

It also raised concerns around medicine supply shortages, funding shortfalls and debt that are leaving pharmacists with “the prospect of closure”, as well as “a broken reimbursement system”.

The move comes after the IPA delivered its “prescription to save our pharmacies” to No.10 Downing Street as part of a demonstration in May that called for the government to “stop pharmacy closures”.

Read more: Lib Dem MP demands ‘urgent’ debate on ‘outdated’ pharmacy contract

Last month, C+D reported that Streeting would “welcome” questions on community pharmacy closures and funding after Liberal Democrat MP Munira Wilson requested an urgent debate in government.

But the pharmacy negotiator last week revealed that negotiations on the pharmacy contractual framework for 2024/25 will likely resume in September at the earliest.

Previously known as the Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies (AIMp), the IPA rebranded in April as it opened up “to all independents” rather than exclusively representing pharmacy contractors with multiple branches.