Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with (a) NHS England and (b) the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee on the level of funding for community pharmacies through the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework for (i) 2024-25 and (b) 2025-26.

No discussions regarding the levels of future funding for community pharmacies through the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) for 2024-25 and 2025-26 have been held with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC). However, the PSNC have, during formal consultation on years four and five of the current five-year deal, made a case for more funding. The Department and NHS England are jointly considering what should follow the end of the current CPCF 2019-24 five-year deal.

In September 2022, as part of the agreement for years four and five of the current CPCF 2019-24 five-year deal, NHS England committed to working with the sector to undertake an independent economic analysis of NHS pharmaceutical services. This review will help inform the negotiation of the future contractual framework for community pharmacy.