Health Stakeholders briefed on community pharmacy funding settlement
Community Pharmacy England met with health stakeholders last week (Thursday 24th April) to brief them on the impact of the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework settlement for 2024/25 and 2025/26 on patients and the pharmacy sector.
During the event, attendees heard more about the new funding and contractual arrangements, including how the changes will affect community pharmacies, medicines supply, and patient healthcare services. Zoe Long, Director of Communications, Corporate and Public Affairs, and Alastair Buxton, Director of NHS Services, emphasised that, while the settlement represents a positive first step, there is still more to be done to invest in the sector and support its future development as a core part of the NHS.
Discussions also covered how the new settlement secures the continuation of vital services such as Pharmacy First and the Pharmacy Contraception Service (PCS), alongside the expansion of the New Medicine Service (NMS) to support patients with depression from October 2025.
Stakeholders in attendance, including representatives from the NHS Confederation and Asthma + Lung UK, raised important questions about how the new funding settlement could serve as a springboard for greater collaboration across primary care, particularly with colleagues in General Practice.
This wider stakeholder engagement builds on a briefing that Janet Morrison, Community Pharmacy England CEO, and Steve Race MP, Chair of the APPG for Pharmacy, held with MPs and parliamentary staffers earlier this month.
Ongoing Influencing Work
Community Pharmacy England is continuing its influencing campaign to gain wide and vocal support from both politicians and key political influencers, and to ask for their help in pressing Government to act to protect our community pharmacies for the long-term. This event is part of a wider schedule of events and briefings, combined with national media work, planned for over the coming months.
We have produced a number of resources explaining the CPCF settlement for external stakeholders, which LPCs and pharmacy owners can use to help support our work:
- CPCF Settlement Announcement Briefing
- Summary of the independent Economic Analysis
- Animation
- Infographic Summary
You may also wish to write to your MP or host a pharmacy visit for them. Our updated guidance documents provide useful advice:
