An Alliance councillor and pharmacist has given a cautious welcome to the newsof additional funding for community pharmacy but has warned that it is not enough.

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt confirmed he would provide more money for community pharmacies to help them meet the increasing demand for their services. The total investment for the financial year 2023/24 reached over £140 million, with plans for further increases in the coming year.

Enniskillen Councillor Eddie Roofe cautioned that “increased funding, whilst welcome, still comes nowhere near to even matching inflation over the past 10 years".

“It will provide breathing room for some pharmacies but shouldn't be seen as an end goal”.

He has worked for ten years as a pharmacist both in the community and within a GP practice and says the workload of community pharmacy has “grown exponentially”.

Councillor Roofe commented: “Vastly increased volumes of prescriptions have only been the tip of the iceberg, as a pharmacist's role has become ever more varied and specialised.  “More advanced services like the minor ailment scheme, vaccination clinics and antibiotics for uncomplicated UTIs have been rolled out over those years to relieve pressure on GP surgeries. However, adequate funding has never been delivered to help pharmacies provide these services.

“Many pharmacies offer deliveries and prepare weekly trays for vulnerable patients at their own expense. They do it anyway out of a sense of duty to their community, but many pharmacies are close to breaking point.”

In the financial year 2023/24, the initial funding allocation for community pharmacy services was £128 million. Due to service pressures and the introduction of additional services, this figure was increased by year-end to over £140 million.

Looking ahead to 2024/25, Minister Nesbitt's department has committed to raising the recurrent funding for community pharmacies. Starting from a base of over £134 million at the beginning of the fiscal year, the department has pledged additional funds to address ongoing service pressures.

The opening annual budget for the community pharmacy sector in 2024 is set at £147 million, marking a significant increase of £19 million compared to April 2023. This budget includes an additional commitment of £2 million per quarter throughout 2024/25 to cope with continued service demands.

However, Minister Nesbitt highlighted that whether this additional quarterly funding becomes recurrent will depend on the department’s ability to deliver efficiencies and the overall budget allocation.

The enhanced funding underscores the critical role community pharmacies play in the healthcare system and aims to ensure they can continue to provide essential services to the public amid growing pressures.

Councillor Roofe concluded: “Pharmacists are still underutilised and our expertise in medicines and minor ailments can go further to help patients every day. Having worked both here and in England, I know that we continue to lag behind our colleagues across the water, but we do appear to be catching up.”