Patients in Crewe and Nantwich will benefit from more services at their local pharmacy, following record investment for community pharmacies, say the Labour government.

Labour has promised to shift care from hospitals into the community, with community pharmacies playing a vital role in delivering patient services at convenient locations.

The package, announced on Monday 31 March, is the first full-year funding package agreed by the sector since 2023, providing community pharmacies with an extra £617 million over two years. 

MP for Crewe and Nantwich, Connor Naismith (Supplied).

The investment comes alongside reforms to deliver a range of patient benefits so people can more easily access care and support on their high streets. 

The reforms include:  

• Ending the postcode lottery for women by making the 'morning-after pill' available free of charge at pharmacies on the NHS for the first time ever
• Boosting mental health support in the community by offering patients suffering depression convenient support at pharmacies when they are prescribed antidepressant 
• Giving patients easier access to consultations by cutting red tape and bureaucracy so that more of the pharmacy team able to deliver a wider number of services 
• Boosting funding for medicine supply so patients have better access to the medicines prescribed for them

MP for Crewe and Nantwich, Connor Naismith, told Nub News: "After years of neglect under the Conservatives, we saw the pressure and even closure facing community pharmacies across Crewe and Nantwich.

"This Labour government promised they would shift the focus of care from hospital to community and, through today's deal, that is exactly what they are delivering for high streets and patients in our community."  

The reforms aim to improve access for patients, free up GP time and help cut waiting lists. 

Health minister, Stephen Kinnock, said: "Community pharmacists are at the heart of local healthcare, and we want them to play a bigger role as we shift care out of hospitals and into the community through our Plan for Change. 

Health minister, Stephen Kinnock (Wiki Commons).

"We are working to turn around a decade of underfunding and neglect that has left the sector on the brink of collapse. 

"This package of record investment and reform is a vital first step to getting community pharmacies back on their feet and fit for the future. 

"The agreement shows how this government is working in partnership with community pharmacy to deliver more care for patients closer to their home, freeing up GP appointments, and catching ill-health earlier and preventing it in the first place."

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