Community Pharmacy Northern Ireland (CPNI) has welcomed recognition of the sector’s role within the Department of Health’s Winter Preparedness Plan 2025/26, but has also expressed concern that opportunities to strengthen frontline services have been missed.
In response to the publication of the Department’s Overarching Winter Preparedness Plan 2025/26, CPNI Chief Executive Gerard Greene said the plan’s acknowledgement of community pharmacy as one of the four key pillars of primary care was an important step, but added that further progress is needed to fully realise the sector’s potential in supporting patient care and easing seasonal pressures.
“We are pleased that the Health Minister has recognised the value and importance of Community Pharmacy in keeping people well close to home, and the role that the sector can play in relieving winter pressures on other parts of the health and social care system,” Mr Greene said.
“Community Pharmacy has been designated as one of the four key pillars of primary care in the Winter Preparedness Plan, and we were involved in some of the early discussions on the Department’s plans. However, we believe that opportunities have been missed to build on treatment and prevention programmes which are highly effective at protecting public health, and which are proven to take pressure off other parts of the system.”
Mr Greene highlighted the success of community pharmacy initiatives such as the winter vaccination programme for flu and Covid-19, which continue to prevent illness, reduce GP workload, and keep people out of hospital. He also pointed to the Pharmacy First services, including the Sore Throat Test and Treat and Urinary Tract Infection services, as examples of easily accessible care that reduce waiting times and improve patient outcomes.
“These services were key components in previous Winter Preparedness Plans,” he noted, “and they freed up capacity in GP surgeries while helping to alleviate winter pressures.”
While welcoming the inclusion of community pharmacy in the 2025/26 plan, Mr Greene warned that ongoing financial pressures across the sector risk undermining its stability and long-term contribution.
“This winter plan does not change the fact that financial pressures are still felt right across the Community Pharmacy sector. We call on the Department of Health and SPPG to work with us to stabilise funding in fair recognition of the central role pharmacy plays in our health and social care system.”
With 123,000 people using community pharmacy services every day and a quarter of a million prescriptions dispensed every three days, CPNI emphasised that community pharmacy remains a vital part of Northern Ireland’s healthcare network, delivering accessible, preventative, and trusted care throughout the year.