Labour warned nursing shortage and pharmacy closures will affect NHS turnaround

Pharmacies are in “crisis” and there will not be enough nurses to fulfil Labour’s plans to turn the NHS into a “neighbourhood health service”, health leaders have said.

The warning comes as Wes Streeting is to launch a major consultation next week to help shape the Government’s 10-year plan for the health service, inviting patients and NHS staff to contribute to the “national conversation”.

Labour pledged while in Opposition to build “an NHS fit for the future”, with a greater emphasis on preventing ill-health, shifting care from hospitals to community and harnessing the latest technology to improve care.

Some of Labour’s plans have already been outlined, including the creation of neighbourhood health centres to enable people to see GPs, nurses, care workers and other medical professionals in the same building, closer than their nearest hospital.

However, despite welcoming plans to shift treatment from hospitals to communities, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) general secretary Professor Nicola Ranger has warned the NHS “simply does not have the nursing numbers to deliver it”.

She said: “Without new investment, the number of community nurses will stay on track to be half what it was two decades ago.

“Nursing staff are ready to help deliver the modernisation our health service needs, but staff are overworked and chronically undervalued.”

According to the RCN, the number of community nurses is projected to fall to 8,995 by 2029, compared with 18,070 in 2009, without government intervention.

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has also warned that pharmacies are in “financial crisis” and that any plans for the NHS must include urgent action to address this.

“A neighbourhood health service means investing in our amazing community pharmacy network, which is embedded in communities across the country, but the reality is that many pharmacies could be forced to close down before the 10 year plan is even published in spring 2025,” NPA chief executive Paul Rees added.

“We hope that the Government will stabilise the community pharmacy network which has been hit by devastating cuts, and expand pharmacy services to bring care close to patients and their communities.”

The Royal College of GPs has said that any changes to the way general practice works must be developed “in partnership with GPs and their patients” while recognising the “intense workload and workforce pressures” GPs currently face.

Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chairwoman of the Royal College of GPs, continued: “It is also vital that individual practices retain the ability to tailor their services to the needs of their local populations, to ensure resources are used most effectively.

“We’ve heard lots of encouraging words from the new Government about shifting resources into general practice, ensuring we have the GP workforce numbers we need, and better integration between primary and secondary care to ensure a more joined-up patient experience of the NHS.

“We must now start seeing action, and we hope the production of the 10-year plan will be the first stage of this – so the RCGP looks forward to feeding into this consultation.”