Interim community pharmacy funding announced

An interim funding agreement has been agreed in advance of the start of actual negotiations on future pharmacy funding.

The Department of Health and Social Care and PSNC have agreed community pharmacy funding levels will remain the same at £2.592 billion per year from 1st April 2019. The arrangements will continue until negotiations on the contract framework end.

Category M prices will increase by £10 million per month, as the reductions to recover excess margin which had been in place since November come to an end.

Chair of RPS in England Sandra Gidley said: “Community Pharmacy has faced hard times over recent years. The health landscape is changing dramatically, the new NHS Long Term Plan emphasises the need for multidisciplinary teams. We want to work with PSNC and all pharmacy organisations to maximise the integration of community pharmacists into Primary Care Networks. This will mean that patients get the full benefit of community pharmacists skills.”