What does the New Year hold for community pharmacy?

Pharmacy contractors, particularly those in England and Northern Ireland, faced an extremely challenging 2024. The general election delayed the new Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) negotiations leaving pharmacies in England having to endure further hardship, as a frankly unfit 2019 contract, was effectively extended. We have witnessed pharmacy closures on a weekly basis and it is clear that an increasing number of English contractors are struggling to pay their wholesaler bills on time. It is unacceptable that the Government have allowed this to happen. In Scotland and Wales settlements have factored in inflation, which is essential for the future. Whilst we should be cautiously optimistic about the NHS plan under the new Labour government, I’m acutely aware that the sector urgently needs an injection of cash to help offset the last five years of chronic underfunding. The next English CPCF must be inflation linked, the sector cannot absorb ever-increasing costs. Pharmacy teams already work incredibly hard to deliver care to their patients and communities.