Nearly eight months have passed since the expiry of the five-year community pharmacy contractual framework (CPCF).
Negotiations for the 2024/25 contract were originally set to conclude in March to replace the five-year deal that expired in April.
Read more: Funding talks to resume after October 30 budget, says CPE
But after a litany of delays, C+D reported last month that negotiations on the next community pharmacy contract would resume after the budget announcement on October 30.
Now, pharmacists are still in limbo as the government, pharmacy minister and negotiator seem to have differing views on the status of contract negotiations.
DH: Two contracts in tandem
Pharmacy minister Stephen Kinnock this week (November 25) told parliament that the department “will shortly begin discussions on the…funding arrangement for community pharmacy in 2025/26”.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DH) yesterday (November 26) told C+D that the CPCF for both 2024/25 and 2025/26 is currently being negotiated with Community Pharmacy England (CPE).
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A DH spokesperson clarified that negotiations for the long-awaited 2024/25 contract have not been written off, but rather that both contract negotiations are happening at the same time.
The DH said that since the budget was announced last month, consultations with CPE have continued and meetings have taken place frequently.
But the spokesperson was unable to say when an outcome may be announced or confirm whether the negotiations would be finalised by March 2025 when the contract year comes to a close.
CPE: No formal negotiations
Meanwhile, CPE chief executive Janet Morrison yesterday told C+D that the negotiator is “impatiently waiting on re-commencing CPCF negotiations as the pharmacy funding crisis deepens”.
While the negotiator has regular discussions with the DH on ongoing funding and policy issues, the government has not re-commenced any formal negotiations on the 2024/25 or 2025/26 CPCF, a CPE spokesperson stressed.
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Kinnock also yesterday said that the DH will “shortly be resuming [its] consultation with CPE regarding the funding arrangements” now that the government budget “has been set”.
“We are unable to say more until these have been concluded,” he told MPs.
It remains unclear whether a deal is likely to be reached before Christmas, but former pharmacy minister Steve Brine has warned that “pharmacy simply cannot wait” for a funding settlement.
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And the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) this month announced that 99% of England pharmacy owners who participated in its collective action vote approve of limiting pharmacy services unless funding is improved.
Recommendations on collective action will be made in January, should the government fail to make a satisfactory funding offer.
