The DHSC is monitoring the growing proportion of community pharmacies owned by corporate entities.
Manx Labour Party leader Joney Faragher questioned how the department ensures services remain sustainable and fair given the dominance of one company.
Claire Christian, acknowledged a trend of consolidation, where “more pharmacies are owned as part of a group and fewer by individual pharmacists”.
She cited the summer of 2023, when “the owners of G.J. Maley Ltd, trading as Lloyds Pharmacy announced their acquisition by Clear Pharmacy” as a key example.
Ms Christian said that while the DHSC explored options, the outcome “was determined by independent market factors not subject to departmental intervention”.
To address future needs, the DhSC has commissioned a Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment which Ms Christian said “will explore how pharmaceutical care can be delivered sustainably and equitably”.