Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Tories propose NHS modernisation and pharmacy expansion

To fund these initiatives, the plan includes cutting NHS managerial positions to pre-pandemic levels and halving government spending on management consultancy.

Tories propose NHS modernisation and pharmacy expansion

The Conservative party has announced a plan to modernise the NHS, focusing on expanding community care services. Key initiatives include the expansion of the Pharmacy First service to offer more treatments without a prescription, the construction of 50 new community diagnostic centres (CDCs), and the modernisation of GP surgeries. These changes aim to improve healthcare access, reduce hospital pressure, and make it easier for patients to receive care locally.

To fund these initiatives, the plan includes cutting NHS managerial positions to pre-pandemic levels and halving government spending on management consultancy. Rishi Sunak emphasised the importance of investing in community services, highlighting the critical role of pharmacies in providing accessible and convenient care. Health secretary Victoria Atkins praised the plan's focus on enhancing the capabilities of pharmacists, GPs, and CDCs to better serve local communities.


To improve healthcare access and reduce hospital pressure, pharmacies will offer more treatments without a prescription. These initiatives will be funded by cutting NHS managerial positions to pre-pandemic levels and halving government spending on management consultancy. Planning guidance will also be revised to ensure health gets a larger share of contributions from new housing developments.

Sunak emphasised the importance of investing in community services. “The NHS is one of our most important national assets, and the Conservatives are taking the long-term decisions to secure its future. We are investing in community services to make it quicker, easier, and more convenient for patients to receive care and help relieve pressure on hospitals,” he said.

Sunak highlighted the critical role of pharmacies and expressed gratitude to pharmacists. “Pharmacies are the lifeblood of their communities, providing continuity and long-term support to patients and families. That’s why we launched Pharmacy First to make it quicker, easier, and more convenient for people to obtain NHS care for seven common conditions locally,” he told Pharmacy Business. Pharmacy First will be expanded to cover more conditions, such as chest infections and menopause, aiming to ease access to NHS care and free up GP capacity. Sunak noted, “This will free up GP capacity so people can access a doctor’s appointment faster and easier. I’d like to thank pharmacists across the country for their essential service to their patients and communities.”

Health secretary Victoria Atkins praised community health services, stating, “Pharmacies, GPs, and Community Diagnostic Centres are the backbone of our NHS.” She said that these services have become more accessible due to “bold action” taken by the government. “Our clear plan will continue to enable our brilliant pharmacists, GPs, and CDCs to do what they do best: serving their local community and boosting capacity in our NHS. We will make the NHS faster, simpler, and fairer for all,” she added.

Read Also: Study: Minority heart failure patients face higher death risk

The plan includes expanding Pharmacy First to offer more contraceptive options, menopause support, and treatment for conditions like acne without a GP visit. This is projected to free up 20 million GP appointments nationwide once fully implemented. Additionally, 100 new GP surgeries will be built, and 150 existing ones will be modernised, especially in high-need areas and regions with significant housing growth. Furthermore, 50 new Community Diagnostic Centres will be created, adding to the 160 already established, and these new centres are expected to provide 2.5 million additional checks and diagnostic tests annually once operational.

Pharmacy First, introduced earlier this year, allows pharmacists to treat and prescribe medication for conditions such as sinusitis, sore throat, earache, infected insect bites, impetigo, shingles, and uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women.

More For You

british-muslims-iStock

The study noted that this identification was not due to any doctrinal obligation but was influenced by the perception that many Muslims do not feel fully accepted as British. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Majority of British Muslims identify by faith first, study finds

A STUDY by the Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life (IIFL) has found that most British Muslims identify primarily with their religion rather than their nationality.

The research, based on a survey of 815 British Muslim adults by Whitestone Insight, revealed that 71 per cent of respondents identified as Muslim first, while 27 per cent identified as British, English, or Scottish first.

Keep ReadingShow less
Car Tax Changes: EV Owners Now Required to Pay for the First Time

Owners of electric vehicles registered on or after 1 April 2025 will pay £10 for the first year, followed by the standard VED rate of £195 from the second year. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Car tax changes take effect: EV owners to pay for first time

FROM today, 1 April 2025, electric cars, vans, and motorcycles in the UK will be subject to Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) for the first time.

The change, introduced in the 2022 Autumn Statement by former Conservative Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, aims to make motoring taxation fairer.

Keep ReadingShow less
scotland-minimum-wages-iStock

Full-time workers on the National Living Wage will receive an annual pay increase of £1,400 in real terms. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Wage increase takes effect for thousands of workers in Scotland

HUNDREDS of thousands of workers in Scotland will see a pay increase as new National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates take effect from Tuesday.

The changes will benefit approximately 220,000 people, according to STV News.

Keep ReadingShow less
uk-energy-bill-iStock

Water bills, energy prices, and council tax are rising, while the minimum wage has also increased (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

April bill increases put financial strain on single parents

A RANGE of essential household bills are increasing from April, with Citizens Advice warning that single parents will be among the hardest hit.

Water bills, energy prices, and council tax are rising, while the minimum wage has also increased, BBC reported.

Keep ReadingShow less
Netflix drama Adolescence to be screened in UK schools
Stephen Graham and Owen Cooper in 'Adolescence'
Netflix

Netflix drama Adolescence to be screened in UK schools

THE NETFLIX drama Adolescence will be shown in UK secondary schools as part of efforts to address harmful online influences on young boys, officials announced on Monday.

The show has sparked debate over the impact of toxic and misogynistic content on the internet. Prime minister Keir Starmer met the show's creators, charities, and young people at Downing Street, calling the initiative an important step in starting discussions about the content teenagers are exposed to online.

Keep ReadingShow less