Key Summary
- CPCF settlement a beginning of a wider reform process, and not the conclusion.
- IPCN rejects commissioning independent prescribing at or near "Pharmacy First" cost levels.
- The IPCN will advise members to boycott the upcoming Independent Prescribing service unless it features robust governance, clinical appropriateness, sufficient training timelines, and commensurate funding.
The Independent Pharmacy Contractors Network (IPCN) has welcomed elements of the newly announced 2026/27 Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) settlement, acknowledging positive progress following sustained pressure from the sector.
In a statement, the network noted that the increase in overall funding, the uplift in retained margin allowance, the write-off of historic margin recovery, and a firm commitment to future structural reforms represent vital movement for a sector operating under extraordinary pressure.
The IPCN also backed the ongoing expansion of community pharmacy's clinical role, particularly the introduction of independent prescribing services later this year.
However, the network stressed that the settlement should be viewed strictly as a short-term stabilization measure. According to the IPCN, major structural issues continue to threaten frontline contractors across England.
These include rising National Living Wage pressures, ongoing inflationary costs, critical workforce shortages, medicine supply instabilities, and loss-making dispensing activities.
The contractors also face an increasing regulatory burden alongside sharp rises in business rates without equivalent government support.
Setting priorities for the next phase of reform
As negotiations transition into the next phase, the IPCN stated that future discussions must focus heavily on five priority areas:
- Real-terms economic recovery: Moving beyond temporary stabilisation to deliver a long-term funding trajectory that genuinely restores financial sustainability across the pharmacy network.
- Margin and reimbursement framework overhaul: Addressing immediate operational instabilities, including dispensing below acquisition cost, margin volatility, supply chain disruptions, and the cashflow pressures caused by expanding dispensing cycles to 56 and 84 days.
- New investment for new services: Ensuring any expanded clinical care delivery is accompanied by genuine additional funding rather than expecting overstretched global sums to absorb the costs of workforce capacity, administrative burdens, and indemnity.
- Implementing protected learning time: Translating the newly agreed protected learning time into a practical, equitable program. The network highlighted that pharmacy teams have historically been expected to absorb training around existing heavy workloads, which is unsustainable if the sector is to transition safely to a more clinical future.
- A properly governed independent prescribing rollout: Erecting a structured national implementation program that covers prescribing accountability, clinical supervision, access to full patient records, and interoperable IT systems before the service goes live.
Rejects ‘Pharmacy First’ level pricing
The IPCN warned that a premature launch of independent prescribing without a rigorous governance framework will expose patients, pharmacists, and contractors to unacceptable risk.
The network clarified that independent prescribing carries a fundamentally different level of professional responsibility compared to working under a Patient Group Direction (PGD).
While a PGD allows for the supply of medicines within a tightly defined, protocol-driven framework, independent prescribing requires completely autonomous clinical assessment, diagnostic judgment, and full professional accountability for the prescription issued.
Consequently, the IPCN stated that any proposal attempting to commission independent prescribing at, or close to, Pharmacy First level costs fundamentally misunderstand prescribing risk and must be firmly rejected by contractors. A viable commercial model must explicitly account for longer consultations, higher indemnity risks, and the cost of protected prescribing time.
The network confirmed it will only endorse the upcoming independent prescribing service to its members if it passes four strict tests:
- It must have robust, built-in governance.
- It must be clinically appropriate for a community pharmacy setting.
- It must allow for sufficient time to train and upskill staff.
- It must be fully and appropriately funded at levels commensurate with the allocated clinical responsibility.
The IPCN concluded that any proposal failing to meet these benchmarks will be rejected, and independent contractors will be strongly advised against participating.
To prevent dilution, the network is demanding that all funding allocated for independent prescribing be strictly ring-fenced for implementation, training, and delivery infrastructure, asserting that patient safety and clinical quality must prioritise speed of implementation.
