Patients will receive more services as community pharmacies receive record investment in the government’s first step to rebuilding community pharmacy through its Plan for Change.
The Department of Health and Social Care has confirmed funding with Community Pharmacy England worth an extra £617 million over two years, following a six-week consultation.
In addition to the investment, the government is writing off £193 million of debt for community pharmacy owners, providing confidence as they enter the new financial year on April 1. This increase addresses years of underfunding and neglect, which have left the sector facing significant financial shortfalls.
Health Minster Stephen Kinnock said:
“Community pharmacists are at the heart of local healthcare, and we want them to play a bigger role as we shift care out of hospitals and into the community through our Plan for Change.
“We’re working to turn around a decade of underfunding and neglect that has left the sector on the brink of collapse.
“This package of record investment and reform is a vital first step to getting community pharmacies back on their feet and fit for the future.
“The agreement shows how this government is working in partnership with community pharmacy to deliver more care for patients closer to their home, freeing up GP appointments, and catching ill-health earlier and preventing it in the first place.”
The investment comes alongside reforms to deliver a range of patient benefits, shifting the focus of care from hospitals into the community. This will improve access for patients, free up GP time, and reduce waiting lists. Key benefits include:
- Free Morning-After Pill: Available at pharmacies on the NHS for the first time, ending the postcode lottery and reducing inequalities.
- Mental Health Support: Convenient support at pharmacies for patients prescribed antidepressants.
- Easier Access to Consultations: Cutting red tape to allow more pharmacy team members to deliver services like medicines advice and blood pressure checks.
- Financial Incentives: Encouraging pharmacists to identify patients with undiagnosed high blood pressure.
- Improved Medicine Supply: Better access to prescribed medicines, including writing off historic debt linked to pandemic dispensing activity.
The deal includes a final funding settlement for 2024/25 worth an extra £106 million compared to the previous year, and a further £375 million for 2025/26, bringing the total package for the coming year to £3.073 billion. An additional £30 million has been freed up by devolving funding for blood pressure and contraception services to pharmacies.
The government’s 10 Year Health Plan aims to move care from hospitals into the community, with community pharmacies playing a vital role in delivering patient services at convenient locations.
Image credit: iStock and UK Parliament
