Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework negotiations have now begun for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 funding agreements, the government has announced.
The government sent a letter to Community Pharmacy England (CPE) on Monday to signal the start of the negotiations, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has said.
Minister of state for care Stephen Kinnock said he was ‘committed to working closely’ with CPE ‘to agree a package of funding that is reflective of the important support that they provide to patients up and down the country’.
‘I am confident that together we can get the sector back on its feet and fit for pharmacies and patients long into the future,’ he said.
The government also reiterated its intention to shift the focus of care from hospitals into the community, and make better use of pharmacists’ skills and training to deliver more services for patients within their local communities.
Janet Morrison, CPE chief executive, expressed ‘relief’ that the discussions were now beginning.
‘Community Pharmacy England will consider very carefully if the proposals that the government is putting on the table address the severity of the funding crisis in community pharmacy,’ she said.
The previous contractual framework began in 2019 and was set to expire in March 2024.
But negotiations were still underway in May when a general election was called. This delayed the process further.
In July, contractors told our sister title The Pharmacist that contract delays were causing ‘stress, uncertainty and closures’. And amid increased demand for pharmacy services they were unable to pay staff enough to retain them, they said.
Planned increases to the national living wage and national insurance contributions added to pharmacy pressures. And National Pharmacy Association (NPA) members voted overwhelmingly in favour of taking ‘working to rule’-style collective action if a satisfactory deal were not forthcoming.
Following the announcement, the NPA suggested it would still recommend that pharmacies reduce their services if the upcoming pharmacy funding offer does not meet its requirements.
Meanwhile, Dr Leyla Hannbeck, chief executive of the Independent Pharmacies Association, welcomed the start of the negotiations, despite being ‘long overdue’.
‘For the past year, the future of community pharmacies has been plagued with uncertainty, and we urge government to provide our sector with a fair funding,’ she said.
‘Pharmacies are not just a core part of our primary care system, but also the fabric of our communities across the UK, it is vital that they are given the funding needed to deliver for communities. At IPA our slogan remains loud and clear, invest in pharmacy to save.’
Malcolm Harrison, chief executive of the Company Chemists’ Association (CCA) also welcomed the restarting of the delayed 2024-25 negotiations, and the beginnings of discussions for the 2025-26 contractual framework.
‘Community pharmacy urgently needs an uplift in funding to stabilise the network, halt further closures, and ensure patients receive the medicines they need.
‘Additional funding is necessary to realise the three shifts the government envisages for the NHS, particularly in shifting care out into the community and prevention,’ he stressed.
To mark the anniversary of Pharmacy First, Healthcare Leader explored the current dynamics between the pharmacy sector and the wider system.
A version of this story was first published on our sister title The Pharmacist.
