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The health minister Baroness Merron has hinted that migraine could be added to the range of conditions covered by Pharmacy First.

Challenged during a Lords debate yesterday to elaborate on how the Government intends to improve patients’ access to migraine care through its 10-year NHS plan, Baroness Merron (pictured) insisted Labour is determined to continue working with pharmacists via Pharmacy First.

Asked by Lord Scriven if Labour will “include and fund” migraine in the scheme and “empower pharmacists to prescribe for this high-volume condition”, she said: “We constantly review and discuss with pharmacists the range of conditions they cover.

“(Pharmacy First) has been one of the highly successful ways of making community-based care available, and we certainly want to continue to work with pharmacists.”

Lord Scriven said emergency hospital admissions for migraine had increased by over 20 per cent since 2021.

In response, Baroness Merron said: “It is also important to note that more modern treatments are available now on prescription, which will all also support people to manage their condition and will reduce unnecessary A&E admissions.”

Lord Londesborough waded into the debate by claiming migraine had been raised for discussion in the Lords just once since 1961, which he said was “extraordinary” considering there are “10 million migraine sufferers in the UK, more than half of whom have no diagnosis or access to preventive medication”.

Lord Londesborough also pressed Baroness Merron on whether migraine will be added to the seven conditions covered by Pharmacy First.

Insisting migraines “cost the wider economy more than £10 billion per annum in lost productivity and tax revenues”, Lord Londesborough challenged Baroness Merron to say if she agreed “there is a compelling economic as well as compassionate argument for better GP training, more neurologists and including migraine in the NHS Pharmacy First scheme”.

Agreeing with that assessment, Baroness Merron said: “There is certainly a substantial economic and NHS impact from migraine.”

She added: “I’m glad (the Department of Health and Social Care) is working with the Department for Work and Pensions on a number of initiatives, including the WorkWell programme and the individual placement and support in primary care initiative, which are all focused on supporting those with migraine to stay in work and get back to work.”

Baroness Merron also said Labour is “strengthening neurological services by expanding community-based care and community diagnostics for earlier identification” of migraine, making calcitonin gene-related peptide inhibitors more widely available and “enhancing the NHS app”.

However, patients are still unable to book Pharmacy First appointments via the app.

Image: www.parliament.uk