The Department of Health is extending its consultation on community pharmacy in 2016/17 and beyond for two months until May 24.

The decision follows a request from PSNC to give it more time to work through the complex proposals. Pharmacy minister Alistair Burt announced the extension during a meeting of the All Party Pharmacy Group yesterday. He said the government saw real potential for greater use of community pharmacy and that the extension would give it more time to develop its proposals working with PSNC and informed by other stakeholders.

PSNC chief executive Sue Sharpe said: “The initial time given for a consultation of this scope and complexity was inadequate, and we had asked for a more realistic timescale. We will now continue our ongoing discussions with the Department of Health and NHS England, seeking to understand the rationale for the various proposals and to find ways to ensure that the services and value provided by community pharmacies are recognised and expanded in future.”

PSNC understands that the DH will now hold another round of meetings with the stakeholders it first met with earlier this year but does not have any further details. It is advising LPCs with comments to make on the consultation to submit them as soon as possible.