Negotiating strategy central to September Committee Meeting 

Community Pharmacy England met in London in September, with Members considering strategy and tactics ahead of upcoming CPCF negotiations, alongside other important matters. 

The work that has been undertaken by Community Pharmacy England since the 2025/26 funding negotiations concluded has been of critical importance for the sector. Not only has there been a huge programme of work to implement the various elements of the settlement, but significant funding analysis projects have also been helping to build the case for the future of community pharmacy.  

During the meeting on 24th and 25th September 2025, the Committee reflected on all of this work and considered how recent political developments, particularly the Government Spending Review and 10-Year Health Plan, may impact on the next round of CPCF negotiations. 

Committee Members spent considerable time reviewing principles and objectives for those negotiations alongside all of the negotiating inputs that have been gathered, including financial analysis and forecasts, submissions by other pharmacy bodies, sector workshops and polling of pharmacy owners. This all informed a strategy discussion considering expectations for funding levels and our other key objectives, as well as the approaches to take in negotiations. 

More in-depth discussions took place on implementation of CPCF funding and service changes, including how best to take forward plans for accelerated advance payments and feedback on seasonal vaccination services and health campaigns. 

This was the first meeting for the new non-executive Chair of the Community Pharmacy England Committee, Professor Dame Jenny Harries DBE DL. Committee Members and the Executive Team look forward to bringing Professor Harries’ extensive knowledge and experience, as a former Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England and the founding Chief Executive of the UK Health Security Agency, to bear in our goal of securing a sustainable future for community pharmacy in challenging times. 

Read more in the full meeting summary: 

Briefing 025/25: Summary of September 2025 Committee Meeting 

View the results from the polling of pharmacy owners:

Briefing 024/25: What pharmacy owners told us in September 2025

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

“The Committee met at a critical time for community pharmacy, with the political conference season underway and crucial CPCF negotiations on the horizon. Preparations for those negotiations are continuing at pace, with economic analysis and sector views central to shaping our priorities. Meanwhile, pharmacy teams are also busy, implementing new services and preparing for what is expected to be another challenging winter across the NHS. 

It was a pleasure to welcome our new Chair, who said she was keen to get stuck into tackling these complex challenges. And it was particularly meaningful to hold our plenary session on World Pharmacists Day, a fitting moment to recognise the dedication of pharmacy teams and the service development opportunities that lie ahead 

Yet, the sector’s financial pressures remain stark, with many pharmacy owners continuing to subsidise NHS services at personal cost – an issue we highlighted in national media coverage just a few weeks ago, and again with Ministers and shadow Ministers at party conferences. There is no doubt that there are very difficult discussions ahead, but everything we’re doing to gather information, build evidence and consider tactics will give us the best possible platform from which to make the case for community pharmacy.” 

The Committee met at a critical time for community pharmacy, with the political conference season underway and crucial CPCF negotiations on the horizon. Preparations for those negotiations are continuing at pace, with economic analysis and sector views central to shaping our priorities. Meanwhile, pharmacy teams are also busy, implementing new services and preparing for what is expected to be another challenging winter across the NHS. 

It was a pleasure to welcome our new Chair, who said she was keen to get stuck into tackling these complex challenges. And it was particularly meaningful to hold our plenary session on World Pharmacists Day, a fitting moment to recognise the dedication of pharmacy teams and the service development opportunities that lie ahead 

Yet, the sector’s financial pressures remain stark, with many pharmacy owners continuing to subsidise NHS services at personal cost – an issue we highlighted in national media coverage just a few weeks ago, and again with Ministers and shadow Ministers at the party conferences. There is no doubt that there are very difficult discussions ahead, but everything we’re doing to gather information, build evidence and consider tactics will give us the best possible platform from which to make the case for community pharmacy.” 

Committee Composition 

The Committee agreed to make changes to its composition in order to better reflect the make-up of the community pharmacy sector. The changes are part of ongoing work on governance at Community Pharmacy England, and follow independent expert recommendations to increase the number of 10+ multiple members of the Committee and give the Independent Pharmacies Association (IPA) appointment rights to Community Pharmacy England.  

Further information on the new interim arrangements can be found here. 

Economic Projects Update 

PA Consulting, an independent consultancy with extensive experience working across Government, attended the meeting and presented a detailed report of their most recent economic work on community pharmacy funding. The Committee discussed a number of initiatives which might go some way towards closing the funding gap as well as potential options for improvement of the retained margin mechanism, several of which are already under discussion with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). 

Other ongoing work 

All subcommittees reflected on progress across their specific workstreams, considering core plans in line with existing strategies. Much of this appears in Community Pharmacy England’s annual report, which describes our activities, value and impact for pharmacy owners in 2024/25. 

Additional staff recruitment was approved so that we can continue this vital work whilst also increasing the support provided to LPCs and further strengthening our research capacity.