RE: When September Comes29 May 2026 09:21
The £340 million funding package and rollout of Independent Prescribing has been agreed with Community Pharmacy England.
Today’s announcement follows record investment over the past 2 years and a raft of measures to deliver more services to patients, including:
making the ‘morning-after pill’ available free of charge at pharmacies on the NHS for the first time ever, ending the postcode lottery women face in accessing the medicine and reducing inequalities
offering patients suffering depression convenient support at pharmacies when they are prescribed antidepressants, to boost mental health support in the community
cutting red tape and bureaucracy to give patients easier access to consultations, with more of the pharmacy team able to deliver a wider number of services such as medicines and prescriptions advice, Pharmacy First consultations for minor conditions, and carrying out blood pressure checks
boosting financial incentives for pharmacists to identify patients with undiagnosed high blood pressure.
boosting funding for medicine supply so patients have better access to the medicines prescribed for them.
Janet Morrison OBE, Chief Executive of Community Pharmacy England, said:
We welcome the agreement reached for community pharmacies in 2026/27, which includes an important commitment to a programme of reform for the sector. It also opens the door to pharmacist prescribing – a first step towards making fuller use of their clinical expertise.
We hope these changes, accompanied by appropriate future investment, will help pharmacies to play an even greater role in supporting patients, improving access to care, and helping people get the advice and treatment they need in their communities.
Malcolm Harrison, Chief Executive, Company Chemists’ Association (CCA), said:
Today’s announcement recognises the longstanding and significant economic challenges facing the sector.
We welcome continued efforts to close the widely-acknowledged pharmacy funding gap.
Independent prescribing is a generational opportunity to expand the care that pharmacies can provide to patients. This announcement is the first step in realising this opportunity.
Under Pharmacy First, patients already have access to advice, over-the-counter treatments, and prescription only medicines under Patient Group Directions, which are the instructions for supplying or administering medicines.
This includes a range of minor health conditions affecting the ears, nose, throat, eyes and skin, among others. It provides rapid access for patients on their high street whilst taking pressure off GPs.
Community Pharmacies are crucial to the 10 Year Health Plan and shifting care out of hospital and into the community, as part of Neighbourhood Health Services.