Community Pharmacy England members met recently in London to discuss the preparations for the next round of Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) negotiations, ongoing financial pressures, winter readiness, and other important matters.
The central focus of the meeting, held on 19th and 20th November, was in closing the sector’s longstanding funding gap and addressing operational pressures.
Committee members reviewed principles and objectives for the negotiations, alongside discussing future funding levels, delivery projections for 2025/26, and service spends.
Members also explored potential approaches and choices to take into the negotiations, including feedback from CEO Janet Morrison’s recent meeting with the care minister Stephen Kinnock, and the possible implications of the Government’s 10 Year Health Plan.
In-depth discussions took place on options for a Community Pharmacy Prescribing Service, with the Committee discussing feedback from pharmacy owners and pharmacists involved in the NHS England Independent Prescribing Pathfinder Programme.
Committee members explored possible options for prescribing services and associated governance arrangements and set out what they would want to see in a nationally commissioned service, while recognising that affordability will also need to be considered in negotiations.
The Committee reviewed the current position on retained margin and considered research into alternative options for the future.
