The Budget - action and delivery needed

Commenting on Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Budget delivered today, Claire Anderson, Chair of the RPS in England, said:

“It’s welcome to see the Chancellor recognise the importance of delivering the COVID-19 vaccination programme in his Budget announcement. Pharmacists across hospital, GP and community sites are central to the programme’s success and it’s vital they get the support they need to deliver it.

“Developing the workforce for the future is going to be crucial to patient safety and meeting the ambitions of the NHS Long-Term Plan, so changes to pharmacy education and training urgently need to be backed with the appropriate resources. As the Chancellor mentioned, it’s important that we invest in our health and life sciences sectors to ensure the UK remains an attractive place for the world’s best talent to come to and work. 

“Pharmacists and their teams remain highly accessible to the public and have provided care by remaining open throughout the pandemic. With continued pressures on frontline pharmacists, we need action following the Prime Minister’s recent commitment to reimbursing community pharmacies in England for additional costs they’ve faced during COVID-19.”