The NPA responds to CPCF funding update (23/08/21)

In response to the CPCF update earlier today, Andrew Lane, NPA chair said:

“NHS England has today announced changes to the pharmacy contractual framework in England, including the introduction and expansion of a number of clinical services. We welcome this element of the announcement which aligns with the direction of travel set out in the NPA’s How We Can Help vision.

“We are disappointed though that PSNC’s request to Treasury to resolve the long-term funding crisis facing pharmacies in England has not been successful.

“Last year the NPA commissioned a report from Ernst and Young (EY) that showed the precarious situation facing pharmacies up and down the country. It said community pharmacies face a funding gap of half a billion pounds and nearly three-quarters of family-owned pharmacies in England could be forced to shut their doors by 2024. Simply put, these new funding arrangements do not address the fact that 72 percent of pharmacies in England are forecast to be loss-making within four years, as the EY report has highlighted.

“Community pharmacies are a local lifeline. They provide vital health and social care in communities across the country, including the most deprived neighbourhoods. The long-term investment needs to be resolved so that alongside the expansion of clinical services from community pharmacy a sustainable plan for the future can be developed.

“We are also disappointed to see that there is no new support for the important work of community pharmacists engaging with PCNs.”