The Negotiating Process
Published on: 7th July 2023 | Updated on: 5th March 2026
Community Pharmacy England’s work to negotiate fair funding, as well as changes to NHS pharmacy services, with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England is a crucial part of our role as the representative of all community pharmacies in England.
Negotiations happen via a formal negotiations process – the consultation – where a settlement (or imposition) is reached following detailed technical discussions. The timing of these negotiations is dictated by Government.
Negotiations on the 2026/27 Contractual Framework are currently underway.
Government requirements dictate that negotiations must remain confidential, but we will update pharmacy owners on the outcomes of the 2026/27 negotiations as early as possible.
In addition to, and usually ahead of, the formal negotiations process, macro pharmacy funding decisions are made through a complex cross-Government process which Community Pharmacy England works to influence at every stage, and throughout the year.
As part of our commitment to highlighting the transparency of our work, we’ve published the following materials to explain the negotiating process and our work to influence policymaking outside of this. You can find out below about who sits on our Negotiating Team, who influences pharmacy funding across Government, the NHS and beyond, and how we work on an ongoing basis to influence pharmacy funding decisions.
You can find all our negotiations updates on this page. You may also be interested in our Blog which regularly covers negotiations and related matters.
Click on any of the images below to enlarge them.
Please note the below resource is in the process of being updated.
If you have questions about the negotiations, please send them to comms.team@cpe.org.uk and we’ll be happy to assist.
For more information on this topic please email comms.team@cpe.org.uk
