Prime Minister Keir Starmer yesterday (March 13) announced that NHS England (NHSE) will be abolished to bring the management of the NHS “back into democratic control”.
He said the move “will put the NHS back at the heart of government where it belongs” as the Department of Health and Social Care (DH) will begin work “immediately to return many of NHSE’s current functions to the department”.
Read more: IN FULL: Starmer reveals plans to abolish NHSE
The DH said the reforms will give “more power and autonomy to local leaders and systems” and “reverse the 2012 top-down reorganisation of the NHS that created burdensome layers of bureaucracy without any clear lines of accountability”.
Health and social care committee (HSCC) chair Layla Moran welcomed the announcement but noted that it “raises as many questions as it answers”.
“Our primary concern is that these changes deliver for patients and families across the country, and we will be holding the government to account to ensure that they walk the walk not just talk the talk on improving outcomes for patients,” she said.
Read more: New primary care medical director role as 2-year NHSE axing begins
Responding to questions on the announcement, health secretary Wes Streeting also yesterday revealed that the DH is in the “very final stages” of concluding a new pharmacy funding deal.
But how has the pharmacy sector reacted to the shake-up?
Invest in “front door” of primary care
The pharmacy negotiator said that it “will continue to make the case for community pharmacy by working closely with whatever new structures and teams the government deems appropriate in the future”.
Community Pharmacy England (CPE) added that “in the meantime, [it remains] fully focussed on the current community pharmacy contractual framework (CPCF) negotiations taking place with both NHSE and the DH”.
National Pharmacy Association (NPA) chair Nick Kaye highlighted that the abolition of NHSE should “not impede progress towards creating the stronger pharmacy network we all want”.
Read more: HSCC give NHSE 2-week deadline for economic analysis update
“Ministers have inherited a crisis in pharmacy and need to do everything they can to prevent further damage to pharmacy services - so we hope these changes release much-needed funds for the frontline,” he said.
And Independent Pharmacies Association (IPA) chief executive Dr Leyla Hannbeck stressed that the “focus of this government must be investing in the ‘front door’ of healthcare and primary care services such as pharmacies”.
“A reorganisation of the NHS should prioritise this aim, not distract from it,” Hannbeck said. “Any reforms that reduce bureaucracy and streamline administration in the healthcare system are welcome.”
Read more: NHS chief Amanda Pritchard to step down next month
Company Chemists’ Association (CCA) chief executive Malcolm Harrison also supported the government’s “aim of streamlining decision-making and redirecting funding to frontline services, including community pharmacies”.
And Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) England board chair Tase Oputu said it was “vital that planned reforms” do not hinder the “progress in advancing the role of pharmacists across the NHS”.
“It’s crucial that pharmacy continues to have representation in the reorganised NHS and that negotiations for the community pharmacy contract remain secure,” she said.
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Pharmacists’ Defence Association (PDA) director of pharmacy Jay Badenhorst said that the “dramatic change in England’s approach to the health service… will have an impact on all areas of pharmacy practice, and of course impact jobs”.
“With these reforms it is also a perfect opportunity to have the voice of the workforce during contract negotiations,” he added.
A fresh start?
Community pharmacist and contractor Derviş Gürol questioned whether it will be “a fresh start or just more political chaos”, but stressed that “since 2012, NHSE’s policies have done more harm than good”.
He added that this included funding cuts, pharmacy closures, excessive bureaucracy, workforce and medicine supply issues, and an “undermining” of pharmacy’s role as GP surgeries and hospitals were prioritised.
Community Pharmacy Dorset chair Mike Hewitson said in a post on X that abolishing NHSE is “absolutely the right thing to do” as it has been “totally unaccountable for too long”.
Read more: NHSE ‘really very tight’ on pharmacy, Hancock reveals
“I hope for community pharmacy this means a fresh start,” he said. “We need a new approach to deal with burgeoning dispensing volumes and prescribing costs, which will take bravery, ingenuity and partnership working.
“I genuinely believe this is a positive step forward that has the potential to improve population health.”
Read more: GPhC and NHSE announce ‘unique’ new pharmacy tech fellowship
Meanwhile, Pharmacy Law & Ethics Association (PLEA) chair David Reissner shared a more immediate and practical reflection on social media, saying that the pharmacy law textbook will need editing to “make adjustments” in light of the news.
One social media user referenced this, commenting that “currently studying pharmacy procurement on [their] study day and reading a section about how NHSE does stuff while it gets abolished is a vibe”.
Streeting yesterday revealed that a new primary care national medical director role will be put in place and that work to halve the number of NHSE and DH employees and reinvest “millions” into frontline services will begin “immediately”.
