The government has responded to recommendations made by a parliamentary committee's report on pharmacy in May.

Writing in response to the report, pharmacy minister Stephen Kinnock said he recognised 'that there is still much more to be done' to support the sector, and pledged to 'make further progress' to expand the role of pharmacy professionals 'in line with the Committee’s recommendations'.

In its response, the government 'partially accepted' recommendations on community pharmacy funding, but rejected recommendations such as generic substitution and making over-the-counter medicines available free of charge to low income individuals through a pharmacy.

It also refused to create a new 'establishment payment' 'to support the development of consultation spaces for patients' within community pharmacies.

And it noted that the NHS 10-Year Plan would be published this spring, followed by a 'refreshed' workforce plan in the summer.

A report on the Independent Prescriber Pathfinder Programme is also expected this year, 'to inform future commissioning decisions'.

As part of the Long Term Workforce Plan refresh, the government said it would 'consider the professions eligible for the learning support fund', following calls to include pharmacy students.

'DHSC is working with NHS England to explore how to introduce a single, consistent policy for funding excess travel and accommodation costs incurred by MPharm students on placements,' it added.

And in response to calls to review the impact of the Additional Role Reimbursement Scheme 'to understand whether any additional flexibility could reduce the drain of community pharmacists into primary care networks', the government said that ARRS funding was 'currently under review as part of the consultation on the 2025/26 GP contract arrangements' with the British Medical Association (BMA).

This is a breaking news story, more to follow.