The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) has called on GP practicesto ensure that all healthcare professionals they employ, including pharmacists, benefit from the 7.2% funding boost they received under a newly agreed contract.
GP employers are encouraged to improve “job security, pay and conditions” for employees with this increased funding.
On 27 February 2025, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the British Medical Association’s (BMA) General Practitioners Committee reached an agreement on GP contract reforms for the first time in four years to “fix the front door of the NHS and bring back the family doctor.”
The deal, part of the government’s Plan for Change to modernise general practice, includes an £889m funding uplift for the coming year. This is in addition to a £433m investment applied to the contract last autumn.
The PDA highlighted that pharmacists in some GP practices in England have been unable to secure permanent contracts due to “the temporary nature of existing funding”, and expressed optimism that the new financial boost could provide “greater job security” for these professionals.
“Whether a local GP practice is owned and operated by a partnership of doctors, or by others, modern general practices employ a range of health professionals, often including pharmacists, to deliver patient care,” the PDA stated.
The association therefore encourages these employers to ensure that “the use of increased funding received under their new contract benefits all those they employ.”
As part of the contract changes, the government aims to eliminate the 8am rush for GP appointments by allowing patients to request appointments online throughout working hours from October.
Health secretary Wes Streeting acknowledged that “rebuilding the broken NHS starts with GP” and described the new deal as “the first step to fixing the front door to the NHS, bringing back the family doctor, and ending the 8am scramble.”
An improved contract for community pharmacy is now expected from the government.
The sector has been without a contract since April 2024 and whilst negotiations between Community Pharmacy England (CPE) and the government remain ongoing, there is no fixed date for when a new contract will be announced.
“Now, it is time to focus on the community pharmacy contract," said Malcolm Harrison, chief executive at The Company Chemists' Association (CCA).
“Core funding for community pharmacy has decreased in real-terms by over £1bn since 2015/16, and it is past time for pharmacies to see a funding increase,” he added.
Malcolm hopes that the positive intent demonstrated in the GP contract will also be reflected in the contract for pharmacies.
Harrison also praised the inclusion of GP Connect under the new contract stating that it will allow for “more integration between GPs and community pharmacy.”
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