A written call for evidence is being requested from all those affected by medicines shortages, including pharmacists and pharmacy teams
The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Pharmacy has launched an inquiry into the ongoing issue of medicines shortages in England, focusing on their impact, contributing factors and potential solutions.
As part of this inquiry, the APPG has issued a call for written evidence from key stakeholders across the healthcare sector, including pharmacists, pharmacy teams, GPs, prescribers, patient groups, professional organisations and medicines manufacturers and distributors.
This inquiry comes in response to the growing concerns about the impact of medicines shortages on patient care and the challenges faced by pharmacy teams in dispensing medicines in a timely way.
The APPG aims to develop practical recommendations to address this ongoing challenge and its impact.
Community Pharmacy England (CPE) is encouraging pharmacists and pharmacy teams to participate in the survey and submit their evidence by Friday, 24 January 2025.
The collected submissions will form a crucial part of the APPG's wider inquiry, which will also include oral evidence sessions scheduled for early next year.
The APPG on Pharmacy, an independent cross-party parliamentary group currently chaired by Labour MP Steve Race, is co-funded by the CPE, the Company Chemists’ Association (CCA), the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), the Independent Pharmacy Association (IPA), and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS).
In November 2024, twenty organisations, including CPE and RPS, wrote to health secretary Wes Streeting, calling for a cohesive cross-government strategy to tackle medicine shortages across the UK.
They stressed the need for actions to build supply chain resilience, support UK manufacturing, improve data connectivity, protect access to life-critical medicines, and reduce duplication across the NHS.
They also called for empowering community pharmacists to make minor amendments to prescriptions when shortages occur.
A report released by the British Generic Manufacturers Association (BGMA) in October 2024 indicated that medicine shortages in England have doubled compared to two years ago.
The vast majority of these were commonly used generic medicines, with some products remaining out of stock for many months.
