Intolerable pressures on pharmacy owners and current negotiations discussed at April Committee Meeting

Community Pharmacy England met in London for a full Committee Meeting on 17th and 18th April 2024.

Committee Members discussed critical matters such as the severity of pressures on the sector, the ongoing Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) negotiations, implementation of the Pharmacy First service, and governance matters.

The Committee were also joined by LPC leaders from the South East region for part of the meeting, to network with Committee Members, observe the subcommittee meetings and share feedback from local pharmacy owners.

The two-day meeting agenda also included discussions about the 2024 Pharmacy Pressures Survey, the results of which will be released in due course. We will be working to maximise the impact of the results with policy makers and the public over the coming weeks.

A critical part of the meeting was the Committee reviewing the progress made so far in negotiations with DHSC and NHS England.

Alongside the negotiations, our focus remains on supporting Pharmacy First and increasing its visibility to the public.

Read more in our full meeting summary:

Briefing 007/24: Summary of our April 2024 Committee Meeting

Commenting on the meeting, Janet Morrison, Chief Executive of Community Pharmacy England, said:

“This was another important meeting for the Community Pharmacy England Committee, with all members very sharply focused on the desperate state of the sector. As business owners themselves, the distressing findings of this year’s Pressures Survey came as no surprise, and all attention in the room was centred on how to find solutions and assure the sustainability of community pharmacies for this year and beyond.

“The ongoing CPCF negotiations are complex, taking place against a backdrop of challenging primary care funding settlements and constrained public spending. Our Negotiating Team is working hard to get the best deal on the table, we have also been working to prepare to make pharmacy’s case ahead of the Spending Review expected shortly after the upcoming General Election. This is alongside influencing work to build support for investment in pharmacy across all political parties and candidates.

“The efforts of all pharmacy teams to implement Pharmacy First have been phenomenal, and it was good to hear that the service is already having a positive impact for patients, with pharmacists also enjoying being able to offer the service. But we know that challenges remain – and we will continue to push DHSC and NHS England to address these and to drive awareness of this strategically important service.

“As part of this ongoing work we will be launching a Pharmacy Advice Audit in the coming months to measure the wider impact the service is having in driving people into pharmacies. And we of course remain focused on continuing to warn Government and the NHS that community pharmacy businesses remain at crisis point, and raising red flags about the clear and present danger to pharmacies and to patient care.”