The government this week (March 31) announced a host of regulatory changes which, among other things, will “enable pharmacy owners to change their opening hours to days and times that better serve their patients and likely users of the pharmacy”.
Introduced as part of the long–awaited pharmacy funding deal for 2025/26 – which represents an 18.6%, or £481 million, increase on 2023/24 sector funds – the amendment will, in some cases, allow pharmacies to “close at quiet times or out-of-hours”.
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However, “the total number of core opening hours must remain the same”, Community Pharmacy England (CPE) said, adding that the amendments should “support pharmacies with operational and capacity issues”.
“Many pharmacy owners have found it difficult to change the days and times of their core opening hours, which were often set many years ago,” it said.
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“Generally, pharmacies only receive NHS funding to provide NHS services, not just to be open, so need sufficient patient numbers during opening hours to meet the costs of opening,” it added.
CPE explained that a “contractor’s evidence of the economic viability of their current opening hours should be considered alongside evidence of patient demand for the pharmacy’s services during these hours and other evidence”.
“Application process”
CPE stressed that:
- Changing core opening hours “remains an application process” – the integrated care board (ICB) must approve any proposed change
- The total number of core opening hours “must remain the same” and there is a different process for applications to reduce these
- The “new/proposed core opening hours must better meet the needs of patients and likely users of the pharmacy”
- The ICB may consider a pharmacy owner’s “evidence of the economic viability of their current opening hours”
- Regulations must first be amended before the reforms come into force and the Pharmacy Manual will also be “revised accordingly”
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The negotiator, however, warned that any changes to core opening hours could mean that “patients and likely users of the pharmacy may have to travel further”.
And CPE said that “if an ICB wants a community pharmacy to be open at quiet times, out-of-hours or on bank holidays and no pharmacy is available, [it] can go through a process to direct and separately fund the pharmacy to open”.
“This may be assisted by an out-of-hours opening rota agreed with local pharmacy owners,” it added.
DSP updates
The new funding deal also announced that “distance selling pharmacies (DSPs) will no longer be able to provide advanced and enhanced services to patients on the pharmacy premises” – likely to take effect from October 2, CPE said.
“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,” it added.
According to the Department of Health and Social Care (DH), DSPs will only be able to deliver these services “remotely in line with delivery of essential services”.
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Requirements for the new medicine service (NMS) were also changed to “clarify that the service cannot be subcontracted to another provider”, CPE said.
“This will stop NMS being provided via a remote consultation...by a pharmacist working off the pharmacy premises who is not employed by the pharmacy owner,” it added.
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And other changes agreed by the DH and CPE included that:
- Practice leaflets will no longer be required
- References for new staff involved in NHS services will no longer be required
- People who pay prescription charges will no longer need to complete and sign the FP10 or EPS token
- There will be no clinical audit requirement - nationally chosen or contractor selected - for 2025/26
- Pharmacies will be required to engage in a maximum of two national health campaigns and two ICB selected campaigns in 2025/26
Check the C+D site for the latest coverage on this developing story
