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The Numark chairman Harry McQuillan has warned Wes Streeting’s resignation as health secretary will hit community pharmacies hard if it sparks a reshuffle that results in Stephen Kinnock’s departure as pharmacy minister.

McQuillan told Independent Community Pharmacist he is concerned Streeting’s decision to leave his post amid speculation he will launch a Labour leadership bid has “the potential to create significant instability across the health agenda”.

However, McQuillan said the potential ripple effect of Streeting’s exit within the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) was cause for concern given it could result in further political moves.

As health minister, Kinnock, who worked under Streeting from July 2024 when Labour swept to power, was part of funding talks with Community Pharmacy England which culminated in pharmacies being given £3.073 billion for 2025-26, a 19 per cent increase according to the DHSC.

However, an independent analysis commissioned by NHS England last year identified a £2.6 billion annual funding gap in community pharmacy.

McQuillan said it was important from pharmacy’s perspective that Kinnock stays in his role if further progress on pharmacy funding is to be made.

“Any major reshuffle within the Department of Health, especially any change to Stephen Kinnock’s current role as pharmacy minister, risks delaying progress on the issues that matter most to community pharmacy, including sustainable funding, workforce pressures and the expansion of clinical services,” McQuillan said.

There have also been concerns that community pharmacy has suffered from a lack of consistency and stability at the DHSC. According to an analysis in the Health Service Journal, 48 people have served as ministers there since the 2015 general election.

McQuillan welcomed the appointment of James Murray as the new health secretary although pharmacists may recall that last year when he was exchequer secretary to the Treasury, he urged MPs to vote against a Lords amendment that would have exempted pharmacies from paying increased national insurance contributions.

“While acknowledging that he lobbied against exempting pharmacies from paying increased national insurance contributions as chief secretary to the Treasury, we implore Mr Murray to engage with the pharmacy sector and take seriously our role in the protection of the nation’s health,” McQuillan said. “We are ready to work with him to protect the future of the sector.”

McQuillan, though, warned community pharmacy “cannot afford another prolonged period of uncertainty while political focus shifts towards a leadership contest”.

“Community pharmacies are already under immense operational and financial pressure and need continuity, clarity, engagement and decisive leadership from government,” he said.