At CPC London 2026, Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for England David Webb delivered a keynote focused on how collaborative pharmacy leadership will help deliver the NHS 10-Year Health Plan. Framing medicines and pharmacy services as central to NHS transformation, Webb highlighted the profession’s growing influence in delivering neighbourhood healthcare, medicines optimisation, prevention, digital transformation and workforce development.

Opening with a celebration of recent achievements across the sector, Webb reflected on the scale of pharmacy’s contribution to NHS priorities. He pointed to £2.5 billion in savings in the secondary care medicines budget since 2017, more than 5.1 million Pharmacy First consultations delivered since January 2024, and significant reductions in intravenous antibiotic use that have released approximately 750,000 hours of nursing time. He also highlighted rapid biosimilar adoption programmes, including the uptake of ustekinumab biosimilars, which generated £58 million in savings within six months.

A major theme throughout the keynote was the role of pharmacy within neighbourhood healthcare models. Webb described the ambition for pharmacies to become a first point of contact for more patients, supported by the expansion of prescribing-based services in community pharmacy. The NHS Medium-Term Planning Framework and emerging Neighbourhood Health Framework place strong emphasis on integrating pharmacy into local care pathways, with independent prescribing seen as a key enabler of more accessible and efficient patient care.

Drawing on findings from the community pharmacy independent prescribing pathfinder programme, Webb highlighted how pharmacy teams are already managing substantial patient need within primary care settings. Data presented showed that most consultations were completed entirely within community pharmacy without onward referral, while many resulted in new medicines being prescribed or existing medicines changed or stopped.

Webb also explored the strategic importance of medicines within the NHS 10-Year Health Plan. Medicines expenditure in England reached £20.9 billion in 2024/25, with prescribing volumes continuing to rise year on year. Against this backdrop, he outlined how the NHS is pursuing a more value-driven medicines strategy through rapid adoption of generics and biosimilars, earlier horizon scanning for innovative therapies and the development of a Single National Formulary. The formulary, due to be introduced in phases, aims to support equitable access to clinically and cost-effective medicines while improving prescribing consistency across England.

Innovation and digital transformation featured prominently throughout the session. Webb described plans for a “digital first” medicines infrastructure, including wider deployment of the Electronic Prescription Service, improved interoperability through a Single Patient Record and greater use of medicines data to improve safety, productivity and supply resilience. He positioned medicines optimisation as one of the most tangible ways technology can improve both patient experience and NHS efficiency at scale.

Prevention and medicines safety were another major focus. Webb outlined ongoing national efforts to reduce antimicrobial resistance, tackle problematic polypharmacy and minimise avoidable medicines-related harm. National medicines safety priorities for 2024–2027 include reducing harm from opioids, psychotropics, anticoagulants and falls-risk inducing medicines, alongside improving the administration of time-critical medicines. Progress in antimicrobial stewardship has already contributed to reductions in unnecessary antibiotic prescribing and generated substantial cost savings across the NHS.

Looking ahead, Webb highlighted the continued expansion of the pharmacy workforce and the increasing clinical role of both pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians. Pharmacist numbers in England have risen significantly since 2019, while the number of pharmacist prescribers has more than doubled following sustained NHS investment in prescribing training. New national initiatives, including the Pharmacist Enhanced Practice Pathway and expanded Pharmacy Technician development programmes, are intended to support the next generation of pharmacy professionals as they take on increasingly advanced clinical responsibilities.

The keynote concluded with a call for collaborative leadership across systems, with Webb emphasising that pharmacy professionals will play a central role in delivering the ambitions of the NHS 10-Year Health Plan. From neighbourhood health and medicines optimisation, to genomics, research and digital transformation, he positioned pharmacy as critical to shaping a more preventative, integrated and sustainable NHS for the future.