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Community Pharmacy England (CPE) has said the Government should be “less restrictive” in its approach to giving pharmacists flexibilities when dispensing medicines to ensure patients get timely access to treatment.

In its response to a Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) consultation, CPE said it was “broadly supportive of the proposals” but was keen to point out where they “do not go far enough”, such as giving pharmacists the power to make switches to improve patients’ access to medicines particularly in relation to branded generic prescribing.

Under the plans, dispensing flexibilities would be allowed in certain situations, such as when a pharmacy does not have the medicine in stock and the pharmacist has determined there is an “urgent need” to supply an alternative.

Dispensing flexibilities can also be used when it is “impracticable to obtain the product without undue delay”.

However, the consultation said flexibilities would not apply “when there is a known serious shortage of the medicine prescribed or the alternative to be supplied”.

As a result, flexibilities would not apply when a medicine is subject to a serious shortage protocol, medicine supply notification or an alert through the central alerting system.

“This is to avoid the risk of causing knock-on shortages and disruption to the medicine supply chain,” the DHSC said.

In its response, CPE said where “urgent need” has been established, “patients should, with appropriate consent, be able to access a generic medication in a case when a branded generic has been prescribed and is not readily available”.

CPE said: “The prescribing of branded generics is known to contribute to regional medication shortages and such a provision would further reduce the burden on prescribers to make prescribing changes and improve access to medications for patients and the public when these medicines are in short supply and unavailable at wholesales.”

CPE added: “In most European countries, pharmacists are permitted to switch medications to generic alternatives with patient consent. This is common practice in the secondary care setting across the UK and is currently common practice in pharmacies in Scotland.”

The consultation, which is also open to pharmacy owners, closes on December 11, 2025.