Jane Hunt MP asked:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of increasing engagement of GPs in the Community Pharmacy Consultation Service.
Maria Caulfield MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary, responded:
The Community Pharmacist Consultation Service (CPCS) can alleviate pressures on general practitioner (GP) practices by providing health advice to support self-care and minor illnesses. As part of the 2021/2022 GP Contract Investment and Impact Fund, Primary Care Networks are being incentivised to increase referrals to the CPCS by 31 March 2022. In October 2021, NHS England launched a £250 million winter access fund for general practice. Participation in the CPCS is a condition of a practice benefitting from the fund.
