Contract

The Department of Health and Social Care (DH) has admitted that the system is “no longer supporting” pharmacists, amid overwhelming support for pharmacy collective action.

Community Pharmacy England (CPE) has revealed that negotiations around the Pharmacy First service were “horrendous”, as core contract negotiations that were originally set to conclude in March continue.

CPE has announced that the seat allocation on its committee will change “as quickly as possible” – in 2026.

Pharmacy minister Stephen Kinnock said that the government viewed resolving community pharmacy funding as “a matter of urgency”.

Funding for Scottish pharmacies will increase by some £13.2 million, with an additional £10 million in guaranteed reimbursement, the Scottish negotiator has revealed. 

The Department of Health and Social Care (DH) cannot say when it will resume talks on the community pharmacy contractual framework for 2024/25.

The Welsh government wants a “fair and proportionate pay uplift” for community pharmacies after awarding a 6% pay increase to doctors and dentists, it has announced.

Community Pharmacy England (CPE) has announced that it expects negotiations for the pharmacy contractual framework, which were originally set to conclude in March, to “resume soon”. 

A recent consultation from PDA members found “90% were prepared to take industrial action” over inconsistent pay awards by GPs to practice based pharmacists.

A “fast-growing” South West London chain told C+D that it wouldn’t take on a pharmacy outside its area even “for free”, while it uses its hub to create capacity and to bolster patient safety and staff wellbeing.