Reform UK has pledged a policy of ‘Pharmacy First, GP Second, A&E Last’ in a bid to ease the burden on urgent and emergency NHS care.

The party also said it would offer tax incentives for new pharmacies and those who employ more staff, as part of its plan to 'save A&E'.

The commitments were contained in the party's manifesto, called ‘Our Contract with You’, launched by party leader Nigel Farage at an event in Wales on Monday.

Mr Farage called for an ‘absolutely radical rethink’ of the way public services are run, including the NHS.

The Reform UK contract also promised to ‘end doctor and nurse shortages’ by allowing all NHS staff to pay zero basic rate tax for three years and by writing off student fees pro rata per year over 10 years of NHS service for all medical staff.

To boost private healthcare, the party would also provide a 20% tax relief on all private healthcare to ‘improve care for all by relieving pressure on the NHS’.

The party has claimed that these policies form part of a ‘fully funded plan for zero NHS waiting lists’, and in total, the pledges for the NHS would cost £17bn per annum.

Mr Farage said: ‘It’s been very, very difficult to have any conversation about the NHS over the course of the 25 years that I’ve been in politics without someone pointing and screaming “you want to privatise it”.

‘All we want is an NHS that is free at the point of the delivery that actually works. And how we get there, frankly, I don’t think most people could give a damn about.’

He also admitted that Reform UK, which began six years ago as the Brexit Party, will not win this election, but it is the ‘first important step on the road to 2029’.

Professor Claire Anderson, president of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) told The Pharmacist that it was clear from the manifestos released over the last two weeks 'that there is clear, cross-party support for how pharmacists will be key to delivering the NHS of the future'.

But she added: 'As we ask pharmacists to do more, they must be backed by workforce planning and sustainable funding.'

Alison Jones, director of policy and communications at the Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA), told The Pharmacist: 'It is welcome that pharmacy is being recognised as the first port of call for the NHS by many of the political parties as part of their general election campaigns.

But she added: 'Supporting the pharmacist workforce and sufficient funding for the existing network are critical areas that need to be addressed. PDA members already experience insufficient staffing levels to cope with existing workload and our manifesto asks for ringfenced funding for staffing to address workplace pressures.'

Janet Morrison, chief executive of Community Pharmacy England (CPE) said the negotiator had 'been urging all political parties to work with us to make better use of the skills of community pharmacists and securing their future with a sustainable funding model'.

'It’s positive to see that the value of pharmacies has been recognised in many parties’ manifestos – Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats and Reform. This political consensus shows the strength of support for the sector, but there is still work to be done to turn these pledges into reality. It will be important for us to work with whoever forms the next Government, and build advocates across the new Parliament, to scrutinise the healthcare promises made during the election campaign and urgently address pharmacy’s funding crisis,' she added.

In other manifestos published ahead of the general election on 4 July, Labour has promised a Community Pharmacist Prescribing Service and to trial 'Neighbourhood Health Centres’; the Liberal Democrats pledged to 'work towards a fairer and more sustainable long-term funding model for pharmacies'; and the Conservatives set out increased spending plans for Pharmacy First.

And Green MPs will work towards making HIV prevention pill PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) available from community pharmacies, as well as pushing for more funding for smoking cessation, drug and alcohol treatment, sexual health, public health budgets and primary medical care spending.

A version of this article first appeared on our sister title Pulse.