Key Summary
- All newly-qualified pharmacists in England this year will register as independent prescribers.
- The report also warns that failing to commission independent prescribing at scale could worsen existing workforce pressures in community pharmacy.
- Without sufficient NHS-funded opportunities to prescribe, community pharmacies could become a less attractive sector for pharmacy professionals.
The Company Chemists’ Association (CCA) wants the Government and NHS England to commission and fund independent prescribing services across community pharmacies in England, and make it attractive to the newly-qualified pharmacists with independent prescriber qualifications.
The CCA’s latest analysis, "Introducing Independent Prescribing to Community Pharmacies in England", shows that expanding independent prescribing in community pharmacy could improve patient access to NHS care, while also easing pressure on GPs and urgent care services.
The report is a collaborative effort involving CCA, the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), Gen X Media (trading as Pharmacy in Practice), and Pfizer.
All newly-qualified pharmacists in England this year will register as independent prescribers, creating a landmark opportunity to expand patient access to NHS care through community pharmacy.
IP pharmacists can assess a much broader scope of conditions with greater depth of assessment.
Part of the training to become a prescriber includes enhanced diagnostic skills and medical history taking. This allows IPs to treat more complex cases with confidence, where non-prescribers would need to refer these patients onwards - likely to their GP.
'Landmark opportunity'
CCA chief executive Malcolm Harrison said, “The Government must not miss this landmark opportunity to harness independent prescribing skills in community pharmacy.
"Independent prescribing would allow pharmacists to manage more complex conditions, resolve more patient needs in a single consultation and reduce unnecessary pressure on GPs and urgent care services.
"Without funded prescribing roles in community pharmacy, there is a real risk that pharmacists will leave the sector, undermining patient access to NHS care.”
Community pharmacies already provide frontline NHS urgent care through Pharmacy First, which has drawn a good response.
Between April 2024 and March 2025, 92 percent of community pharmacies delivered Pharmacy First consultations, and more than 2.5 million consultations were provided.
However, Pharmacy First relies heavily on Patient Group Directions (PGDs), which restrict pharmacists to tightly defined treatment pathways.
The CCA argues that independent prescribing would allow pharmacists to use their full clinical skills and resolve more patient needs.
The report highlights that commissioning independent prescribing could:- Increase Pharmacy First consultations from around nine million a year to as many as 40 million annually.
- Enable pharmacists to treat a wider range of conditions without unnecessary GP referrals.
- Improve access to diagnosis and treatment through local pharmacies.
- Free up NHS capacity for more complex care.
- Help reduce health inequalities by improving access to care in underserved communities.
- Support the Government’s ambition to shift more care into the community.
The report also warns that failing to commission independent prescribing at scale could worsen existing workforce pressures in community pharmacy.
Drop in number of pharmacists
Despite rising demand, workforce capacity in the sector has fallen since 2021. There has been a 7 percent decrease in full-time equivalent pharmacists; a 32 percent reduction in pharmacy technicians, and a 1 percent decrease in pharmacy support staff.
Without sufficient NHS-funded opportunities to prescribe, community pharmacies could become a less attractive sector for pharmacy professionals and this would restrict public access to NHS care.
The Government and NHS England must commission and fund independent prescribing services in community pharmacy, supported by workforce planning, digital infrastructure and sustainable funding.
This expansion would improve access to care for patients and reduce pressures on the NHS.
The NPA chief executive, Henry Gregg, said, "This is a golden opportunity that should be grasped and the government cannot allow it to go to waste.
"Prescribing absolutely cannot come at the expense of fully funding pharmacies for their dispensing work but without improved planning, there is a growing risk that newly-qualified pharmacist prescribers will leave community pharmacy for hospitals or GP practices.
"Prescribers in community pharmacy have enormous potential to enable care closer to home supporting implementation of the 10 Year Health Plan and the shift from hospital to community and drive fresh opportunities for pharmacies. It is right that we use the skills of pharmacists fully in dispensing, managing repeat prescriptions and optimising medicines use."
Strengthening primary care
Pfizer UK primary care lead Hetal Naik said, “This report makes an important contribution to the discussion on how we can better equip community pharmacy to meet growing patient need. Independent prescribing has the potential to strengthen access, improve convenience for patients and make fuller use of the clinical expertise available within community pharmacy. We are pleased to have supported this work and hope it helps inform constructive dialogue on how these capabilities can be commissioned and implemented at scale.”
Pharmacy in Practice chief executive Johnathan Laird commented: “We welcome this thorough and timely report. This is a pivotal moment for primary care in England. Community pharmacy teams are already one of the most accessible assets within the NHS, trusted by patients and embedded in local communities. By commissioning independent prescribing services at scale, the Government and NHS England can turn new clinical capability into real capacity for the health service.
"This is about strengthening the whole primary care ecosystem so patients can receive timely, safe and convenient care closer to home. We thank the Government for their recent moves to further accelerate the development of digital interoperability which will enable pharmacy teams to capture and communicate the valuable work they do.
"With sustainable funding, effective workforce planning and the right digital infrastructure, pharmacist prescribing can help reduce inequalities, ease pressure across the NHS and support a more modern, resilient and prevention-focused model of care.”
The report was funded by Pfizer Ltd and is non-promotional. It reviewed the report for medical accuracy and to ensure compliance with regulations.
