Politicians put spotlight on NHS medicines procurement

Medicines procurement in primary care will be examined in a new inquiry designed to improve medicines supply.

In the inquiry, the cross-party House of Lords Public Services Committee will consider the UK’s ability to predict and prevent medicine supply issues.

The inquiry will focus on the effectiveness of current strategies to tackle medicine supply issues in England and their resilience in the face of challenges in the procurement, supply and distribution of medicine.

Dispensing GPs are invited to comment on issues such as:

What are the causes of medicine supply chain issues in the UK?
How do Government and primary and secondary care providers monitor stock levels across different parts of the supply chain and how effective is this monitoring?
To what extent is the Government able to predict supply chain issues before they occur?
What impact do procurement policies within primary and secondary care have on supply chain resilience and how could these be improved?
To what extent is the UK an attractive market for investment at all stages of the pharmaceutical supply chain, including research, manufacturing, and supply?

Written submissions should be made online using the written submission form by 23:59 on 23 September 2025. The Committee expects to report on its findings in early 2026.

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