The NPA today (June 26) revealed that pharmacies in England could lose out on £465m in funding “promised by the government” to back the Pharmacy First service over two years based on current trends.

It said that its analysis shows that “at the current rate, only £180m is expected to be delivered to pharmacies in England out of the £645m that the government has allocated” by the end of March 2025. 

“That means, as it stands, community pharmacies are set to lose £465m without a commitment from the future government” to deliver this money to the frontline, it added. 

Read more: Pharmacies with extra ‘capacity’ to pick up digital Pharmacy First consultations

This is based on the minimum number of consultations per month set by the government, with feedback from NPA members indicating that they are just about meeting this, the membership body told C+D.

But it added that even if there is a substantial performance above minimum, there is still potentially a large shortfall in the actual funding delivered to pharmacies.

Read more: Pharmacy First: New funded pharmacy PCN liaison role as just 31% of GPs refer

The membership body said that the “slow rate” of funding has been caused by the “delayed” rollout of the scheme and “ongoing IT glitches”, as well as a “reluctance by some GPs to refer patients to the scheme”.

The “modest fees paid to pharmacists for seeing patients” are also to blame, with “many” walk-in consultations “resulting in no payment at all”, it added.

 

Funding “black hole”

 

The NPA said that this “shortfall” in pharmacy’s “already stretched” finances “throws into doubt the future of the Prime Minister’s flagship scheme”.

It has written to the leaders of the UK’s three main political parties “asking them to commit to deliver the funding that has already been set aside by the government”, it added. 

Letters to Rishi Sunak, Sir Kier Starmer and Sir Ed Davey warned that a funding shortfall “would be devastating” for the sector, the membership body said.

Read more: CCA: ‘Urgent need’ for more GP referrals amid modest Pharmacy First growth

“During this general election campaign, we are asking that all three main parties commit to ensuring that every penny of the £645m promised for Pharmacy First is delivered to our struggling community pharmacy sector by March 2025 – without any of it being taken away,” NPA chief executive Paul Rees added.

He said that pharmacies are “determined” for the service to “be a success” but “if most of the money promised for the scheme is clawed back by the government, it risks leaving a black hole in already depleted pharmacy finances”.  

Read more: Fifth of pharmacies warn May Pharmacy First threshold increase ‘unachievable’

"Pharmacies are being pushed to the brink by ongoing financial pressures which is why they took part in the first ever nationwide day of action last week,” Rees added.

An estimated 6,000 community pharmacies across the UK took part in the NPA’s “day of action” on June 20 to highlight the severe financial pressures facing the sector, the NPA said.

Meanwhile, a new platform has been launched allowing pharmacies with “additional capacity” to deliver Pharmacy First video consultations for patients across the country.