CPCF settlement 2024/25 and 2025/26: Regulatory Changes and FAQs
Published on: 19th May 2025 | Updated on: 19th May 2025
Contractual easements
- Clinical audits: During 2025/26, there is no requirement to complete a nationally chosen or pharmacy owner selected clinical audit.
- Health campaigns: During 2025/26, pharmacies only have to take part in a maximum of two national health campaigns and two campaigns selected by their Integrated Care Board (ICB).
- Practice leaflets: The requirement to produce a practice leaflet will be removed.
- References for new staff: The requirement to seek references for staff involved in NHS services will be removed.
- Patients signing prescription declarations: The requirement for patients that pay an NHS prescription charge to complete and sign the declaration on the rear of the prescription form or EPS token will be removed.
- NHS Profile Manager: We will work with NHS England to seek to ensure pharmacy owners’ NHS website and Directory of Services (DoS) Profiles within NHS Profile Manager are comprehensive and accurate.
Contract changes: Summary of regulatory changes
Amendment of core opening hours
These regulatory amendments should enable pharmacy owners to change their opening hours to days and times that better serve their patients and likely users of the pharmacy, and in some cases, close at quiet times or out-of-hours. The amendments should also support pharmacies with operational and capacity issues. The Pharmacy Manual will be revised accordingly.
Contract changes: Core opening hours information
Distance Selling Premises (DSP) pharmacies
Regulations will be amended so that DSPs will no longer be able to provide Advanced and Enhanced services to patients on the pharmacy premises. Where the service specification for individual services allows remote consultations to be provided or off-site provision of a service, that will still be possible for all pharmacies, including for DSPs. This is likely to be effective on/from October 2025, after the PLPS regulations have been amended.
Distance selling pharmacies webpage
Contract changes: DSP regulatory FAQs
NMS change
The service requirements for NMS will be changed to state/clarify that the service cannot be subcontracted to another provider. This will stop NMS being provided via a remote consultation with the patient by a pharmacist working off the pharmacy premises who is not employed by the pharmacy owner. This change will only be effective after the Directions for the service have been amended.
New Medicines Service (NMS) webpage
Contract changes: NMS regulatory FAQs
For more information on this topic please email regulations.team@cpe.org.uk
