Health Secretary Matt Hancock says he expects a “big shift” in the vaccination programme, during a webinar hosted in Watford.

Speaking at a webinar on Wednesday (June 23) hosted by Sigma Pharmaceuticals based at Imperial Way in Watford, Mr Hancock said that community pharmacists will be able to sue their “clinical capabilities” again as enough vaccinations are handed out.

He said that community pharmacies – “at the heart of primary care” – had delivered over five million vaccines so far.

Among the pharmacies praised was Cullimore Chemists, based in Edgware.

Mr Hancock also talked about the role of pharmacy in primary care and in the new Health and Care Bill.

Mark Lyonette, CEO of the National Pharmacy Association commented that it is rare to get senior leaders focussing attention of Community Pharmacy, and it was a good sign for the future.

During the meeting, Mr Hancock said: “We’re reforming right across the board, and the underlying thread that ties them all together is that prevention is better than cure, and you (community pharmacy) are at the heart of that vision.”

“Pharmacy is absolutely central to making that work because you’re so often the first port of call,” the health secretary said.

“At the same time, we’re riding the greatest wave of innovation in the history of healthcare because people have had to do things differently, they’ve had to act flexibly, and they’ve had to embrace the spirit of integration that’s overcome traditional boundaries because there were no other choices.

“It’s that spirit that runs through the health and care bill.”

Sigma’s Co-Founder Dr Bharat Shah CBE said: “Sigma is really pleased to host this series of webinars to bring these important discussions to Community Pharmacists.

“We are very grateful to our guests for sharing their time with us and bringing us such engaging discussions.”

To watch the webinar, visit: youtube.com/watch?v=a38PinFqhpc