Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

New CPCF arrangements: Community pharmacy secures largest funding boost in NHS

The baseline annual CPCF funding for 2025/26 will rise to £3.073 billion, with £900 million allocated to the margin.

 New CPCF arrangements: Community pharmacy secures record £617m funding boost

This record investment is a vital first step to getting community pharmacies back on their feet and fit for the future, says health minister Stephen Kinnock.

Photo credit: gettyimages

Following a six-week consultation with Community Pharmacy England (CPE), the government has committed an additional £617 million over two years to support the sector- the largest uplift in funding across the whole of the NHS.

The Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC) today (31) announced the funding arrangements for the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) for 2024/25 and 2025/26.


The deal includes a final funding settlement for this year (2024/25), providing an extra £106m compared to the previous year, and a further £375m for 2025/26.

It takes the baseline annual CPCF funding for 2025/26 to £3.073 billion, representing a 15% increase in government spending on the previous year, surpassing the record 5.8% growth in the total NHS budget.

From April 2025, the margin allowance for community pharmacy will rise to £900 million per year.

The sector has also secured a further £215 million for Pharmacy First and other Primary Care Recovery Plan services.

In a major relief to pharmacy owners, the government has agreed to write off £193 million of historic medicines margin over delivery, primarily accrued during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Health minister Stephen Kinnock described this record investment and reform as “a vital first step to getting community pharmacies back on their feet and fit for the future.”

“Community pharmacists are at the heart of local healthcare, and we want them to play a bigger role as we shift care out of hospitals and into the community through our Plan for Change,” he said.

“We’re working to turn around a decade of underfunding and neglect that has left the sector on the brink of collapse.”

“The agreement shows how this government is working in partnership with community pharmacy to deliver more care for patients closer to their home, freeing up GP appointments, and catching ill-health earlier and preventing it in the first place,” he added.

CPE chief executive Janet Morrison pointed out that a decade of real-terms funding cuts has left pharmacy businesses fighting to survive, with closures continuing at an alarming rate.

She said: “We are pleased that this settlement takes a positive first step in the right direction for pharmacies, towards stabilisation and a better future.

“A sustainable community pharmacy sector can and must play a huge part in the future of the NHS.”

Fee Adjustments

As part of the new agreement, the following fee changes will take effect from April 2025:

Single Activity Fee (SAF): Increasing from £1.27 to £1.46 per item.

Pharmacy Contraception Service (PCS): Fees for both initiation and continuation consultations will rise from £18 to £25.

Pharmacy First Service: Consultation fees for Minor Illness and Clinical Pathways will increase from £15 to £17.

New Medicine Service (NMS): The payment structure will be simplified, introducing a split fee—£14 for the initial intervention consultation and an additional £14 for the follow-up consultation.

Hypertension Case Finding Service:

Clinic Check Consultation fee will be reduced from £15 to £10.

Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM) fee will increase from £45 to £50.85.

Expansion of two existing services

The government has also confirmed the expansion of the New Medicine Service (NMS) and Pharmacy Contraception Service (PCS).

From October 2025, antidepressants will be added to the NMS, and Emergency Hormonal Contraception (EHC) will be added to the PCS, with a consultation fee of £20.

Additionally, the government has agreed to enhance the use of skill mix within the Smoking Cessation Service and Pharmacy Contraception Service, allowing pharmacy technicians to deliver Patient Group Directions (PGDs).

From 2025/26, PGDs will be introduced for the Smoking Cessation Service to allow the supply of varenicline and cytisinicline (cytisine), while drospirenone will be added under PGD for the Pharmacy Contraception Service.

A smaller than usual Pharmacy Quality Scheme (PQS) will include training to support the expansion of these services, with a 75% aspiration payment available to claim in May.

"This positive investment underscores the importance of community pharmacy as an integral part of the NHS team, providing clinical care, optimising the use of medicines, and supporting people in their neighbourhoods to prevent ill-health, said David Webb, chief pharmaceutical officer for England.

Amanda Doyle, national director for primary care and community services, welcomed the funding deal, emphasising that it will empower community pharmacists to build on their success and further expand their roles in patient care.

“This funding secures their good work for patients for the future,” she stated.

The announcement comes after the release of an independent economic analysis of England’s community pharmacy sector on Friday, which revealed that 78% of pharmacies are "unsustainable in the short run" and face a significant risk of disrupting NHS pharmaceutical services.

More For You

MHRA approves Pfizer Hympavzi (marstacimab) for haemophilia treatment

Marstacimab is currently being assessed by NICE and the Scottish Medicines Consortium for use on the NHS

gettyimages

Marstacimab approved for haemophilia treatment, Pfizer aims for NHS availability

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved Hympavzi(marstacimab) to prevent or reduce bleeding in patients aged 12 years and older, weighing at least 35kg, who have severe haemophilia A or B.

Developed by Pfizer scientists, this groundbreaking treatment is the first of its kind to target a protein involved in the blood clotting process.

Keep ReadingShow less
​Pope Francis

Pope Francis at the Vatican on December 4, 2024.

Photo by FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP via Getty Images

His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj offers condolences to Catholic community following Pope Francis' passing

His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj, the spiritual leader and president of the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), has expressed heartfelt condolences to the Catholic community worldwide following the passing of Pope Francis on Monday.

In a formal letter addressed to the members of the Roman Catholic Church, Mahant Swami Maharaj conveyed the deep sorrow of the BAPS Swaminarayan Hindu fellowship, acknowledging the Pope's passing as “a profound loss to the Catholic community and Christians around the world.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Pharmacies in Northern Ireland distribute free booklets to raise cancer awareness

Dr Anna Cullen, Public Health Registrar at the Public Health Agency and Clare Conroy, Community Pharmacist from Meigh Pharmacy in Co Down.

Photo credit: Community Pharmacy Northern Ireland

Pharmacies in Northern Ireland help raise cancer awareness

Community pharmacies across Northern Ireland are distributing a free information booklet to help raise public awareness of the signs and symptoms of cancer and promote early diagnosis.

The initiative is part of the ‘Be Cancer Aware’ campaign, which has been running in pharmacies since April and will continue through May as part of the Living Well service.

Keep ReadingShow less
CPE invites pharmacy owners to share their views on new CPCF funding settlement

What do you think should be the next priority for the Government?

gettyimages

Pharmacy owners asked to share their views on new CPCF arrangements

Community Pharmacy England (CPE) is urging pharmacy owners to share their views on the new Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) funding settlement ahead of its next full Committee meeting, scheduled for 30 April–1 May.

The Committee said it had agreed to the settlement "reluctantly," acknowledging that it represents a significant shift after years of real-terms funding cuts, while admitting that it’s “still not sufficient to match the continued scale of pressures facing pharmacy businesses.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Homecare medicines services face many challenges beyond pharmacy's control

Homecare medicines services face many challenges beyond pharmacy's control

gettyimages

GPhC calls for industry-wide collaboration to strengthen homecare medicines services

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has called for industry-wide collaboration to improve homecare medicines services to ensure patients always receive their medicines when needed.

The call follows a recent review by the regulator, which identified several challenges facing homecare services, many of which were beyond the immediate control of the pharmacies providing them.

Keep ReadingShow less