Inject funding now to prevent collapse, CPE tells Ministers
Community Pharmacy England has urged Ministers to provide immediate funding relief to community pharmacies and warning that without this, pharmacy closures will continue, with the potential for a house of cards collapse of the sector.
Writing to Ministers, Chief Executive Janet Morrison warned that without remedial action soon, there will not be a community pharmacy sector left to deliver the Contractual Framework, let alone the future ambitions of the Government and the NHS.
Reflecting the Committee’s intense anger and frustration at the ongoing delay to CPCF negotiations, Ms Morrison has pressed Ministers to provide urgent relief, setting out proposals for this (including injecting funding before the conclusion of negotiations) and also the very grave consequences if this does not happen.
The letter followed the November meeting of the Community Pharmacy England Committee in London last month.
Meeting Summary
The Committee was focused on the critical financial pressures on community pharmacies, preparing for the upcoming CPCF negotiations and reviewing tactics as we continue to press Government to address the sector’s pressing issues.
We considered the impact of the Government’s Autumn Budget plans on community pharmacies, reflecting on the recent meeting with Minister for Care Stephen Kinnock on this topic, along with the important opportunity presented by the NHS 10-Year Health Plan.
As always, the opinions of pharmacy owners from across the sector (gathered via polling before the meeting) were fed directly into the discussions and there was deep anger and frustration that the negotiations for the 2024/25 settlement are yet to re-commence.
The Committee also looked at Pharmacy First progress, and they heard from PA Consulting who presented findings from their extensive economic work for Community Pharmacy England ahead of the next Comprehensive Spending Review.
Committee Members reviewed work plans and agreed on priorities for the year ahead: the very urgent priority is to maximise income to the sector through the upcoming negotiations, and in the longer-term, influencing the NHS 10-Year Health Plan and next Comprehensive Spending Review will also be vitally important for the sector’s future.
Further Information
Further information on the Committee Meeting is set out below, and Chief Executive Janet Morrison has recorded a video message for pharmacy owners.
Watch the Chief Executive’s Video Blog
Read the Summary of the Committee Meeting
Janet Morrison, Community Pharmacy England Chief Executive, said:
“We are now eight months into the 2024/25 financial year with no financial settlement in sight: this is disastrous from a business planning perspective, falls short of proper economic regulation, and the continuation of current underfunding is proving catastrophic for community pharmacies.
“I have written to Ministers once again to warn them that with every day that passes, more community pharmacies are falling into debt and administration. Many community pharmacy owners are now considering whether to close, sell or make further cuts to staff and patient services before they collapse. Our regular sector polling has shown how the pressures are already affecting patients, and that is going to worsen.
“Millions of people depend on community pharmacies for medicines and healthcare advice and services so the impact on them, and on the wider health service, should community pharmacy not be there would be simply unthinkable.
“Community pharmacy has so much to offer and has shown time and again its value, capabilities and ambitions for the future, which align very much with those of the new Government. We have been encouraged by early meetings with Ministers and their clear support for community pharmacies, but time is running out to turn the potential of community pharmacy into reality, with the sector on a slipper slope to collapse.
“We implore Government to recommence negotiations very soon and will update the sector as soon as we have news.”
