Over 90% of pharmacies providing C-19 test distribution service

The vast majority of pharmacies in England are now signed up to participate in the NHS community pharmacy COVID-19 lateral flow device distribution service, clearly demonstrating the sector’s commitment to supporting the nation during the pandemic.

Celebrating the success of the rollout of the service, Matt Hancock, Secretary of  State for Health and Social Care, said:

“Pharmacies make an invaluable contribution to our health service – they have gone above and beyond in response to COVID-19 to serve their communities. Now, they will play a key role in our rapid testing programme, which is a vital tool in reopening society in the months ahead.

“I have been delighted at the level of interest and how fast the response has been from pharmacies to take part, with 9 in 10 registering to offer rapid test kits within 10 days.

“This new service will make it even easier for people to access rapid testing twice a week. The testing only takes 30 minutes and will help people stop the spread of the virus – protecting families and communities and saving lives.”

Welcoming the response from community pharmacy contractors to provide the service, Alastair Buxton, Director of NHS Services at PSNC said:

“At the launch of the service, PSNC said it believed the service would be another demonstration of how community pharmacy had constantly stepped forward to support patients, the public and the nation during the pandemic.

“The fact that in a matter of days, well over 90% of pharmacies have signed up to provide the service is a testament to the commitment of pharmacy teams up and down the country to support their local communities. We hoped for a good response to the service, but it has been even better than we had predicted.

“Distributing test kits is a great way for the accessibility of community pharmacies and the relationships their teams have with the local community to be used to help the nation’s COVID-19 recovery effort, including supporting less well served groups of the population.”

Watch the April video update from PSNC’s CEO, which focuses on the new service

Read more about the service and download contractor resources