Latest 2026/27 CPCF negotiations position scrutinised at April meeting

Community Pharmacy England met in London for a full Committee meeting on 22nd and 23rd April.

Despite significant efforts by all parties, negotiations on the arrangements for the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) in 2026/27 have not yet concluded. Government requirements dictate that negotiations must remain confidential but, as pharmacy owners themselves, Committee Members know how incredibly frustrating the lack of certainty is. It makes managing finances all the more difficult, and planning for the future almost impossible.

At the April meeting, Committee discussions were largely focused on the ongoing CPCF negotiations, reviewing the progress made to date and the latest position. Subcommittees also met to consider topics including medicines supply, LPC support and the upcoming Regional Roadshows which we hope pharmacy owners will attend.

The Committee were briefed on the detail of the latest offer from Government and the NHS – highlighting where progress has been made in response to the Negotiating Team’s arguments. In-depth discussions enabled further exploration of the proposals and related issues in more detail, helping Members to consider together what is, or isn’t, favourable to the sector.

Consideration was also given to the plan of action post-negotiations, and the work programme that will be needed to resolve key challenges with DHSC/NHSE before the next round of negotiations and in the longer term.

We hope to be able to say more on these important outcomes in the coming weeks. While we continue to work toward that, you might be interested to learn more about the negotiating process itself through the information and infographics on our website:

Explore the Negotiating Process webpage and infographics

Other discussions at Committee

Plans for outputs from two important workstreams were discussed at the April meeting:

• Regional roadshows: the agenda for our annual face-to-face events to hear from pharmacy owners has now been set. Shape our priorities, learn what the CPCF outcome means for your pharmacy business, and help drive future changes to the CPCF by grabbing your seat now.
• Pressures Survey results: finances and supply problems remain the most dominant concerns. The findings will be highlighted through national and regional media work alongside Parliamentary tactics. We will also be calling on pharmacy owners and LPCs to join us in a social media/public facing campaign in early summer – more information to follow.

Alongside the CPCF negotiations, other core functions are continuing – including monitoring funding, making medicines supply representations, and strengthening our evidence base – and updates on these workstreams were reported in the subcommittee meetings. Specifically, the Service Development Subcommittee reviewed recent Government documents on neighbourhood health; the Funding and Contract Subcommittee considered the impact of period of treatment variation across the country; the Legislation and Regulatory Subcommittee members reflected on proposed amendments to the Information Regulations; and the LPC and Contractor Support Subcommittee reviewed intelligence on the impact of ICB mergers.

Read more in the full meeting summary:

Briefing 007/26: Summary of April 2026 Committee Meeting

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

“This was an incredibly important Committee Meeting as we make progress through complex CPCF negotiations, allowing all Committee Members to understand in-depth the details of the current offer and their implications, to reflect on where we are relative to our negotiating positions, and to reaffirm our priorities. Pharmacy owners are rightly very anxious for news about their futures, and we hope that CPCF news will be available in the coming weeks. Committee Members also looked at wide ranging topics such as the support we offer to LPCs, medicines supply, and our upcoming Regional Roadshows which we hope many pharmacy owners will attend.”