Key Summary
- None of the respondents felt the new CPCF settlement will end the woes of community pharmacies.
- 47 percent said it doesn’t help, and 47 percent said it helps slightly.
- Pharmacy organisations welcomed the funding increase, but felt more needs to be done.
The much-awaited 2026/27 Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) settlement has brought little cheer to the community pharmacy sector, that has been battling years of underfunding.
For the past two years the settlement amount has increased but experts claim it is not enough to close the funding gap. This year there has been a £340 million increase over the previous year and the recent Pharmacy Business LinkedIn poll shows that many felt it was not enough, while some felt it may ‘slightly’ help ease the burden of pharmacies.
Specifically, 47 per cent of respondents stated the new settlement does not help the pharmacies, and it was matched by another 47 per cent who said it helps slightly. The remaining 6 per cent were unsure.
Notably, not a single respondent voted that the package fully resolves or helps pharmacies tied over the current crisis.
The newly finalised 2026/27 contract provides a 10.3 per cent funding uplift, a £200m increase to the annual retained medicine margin allowance, and an NHS clawback write-off of up to £239m.
Largely, the announcement has received mixed signals.
Among prominent organisations in the industry, Company Chemists’ Association (CCA) and Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) called it a step in the right direction, but urged the government to deliver consecutive, above-inflation increases, while the National Pharmacy Association has launched a poll of its members to understand how the settlement will impact frontline services.
As the contract is heavily debatable, Pharmacy Business conducted a podcast discussion called "Reflections on Pharmacy Funding" recorded on 4 June.
In the podcast, Community Pharmacy England (CPE) chief executive Janet Morrison shared insider details on how the contract was finalised after many rounds of negotiations.
She said the government had prioritised community pharmacy and is keen to go beyond "sticking plaster settlements" to reform the contract funding and reimbursement, she suggested.
The conversation also touched upon the Independent Prescribing (IP) service. Morrison cautioned contractors to carefully consider cost benefits before engaging with the IP service.
