CPE: ‘Not clear’ when contract talks will conclude as April changes ruled out
Arthur Walsh,
27 Mar 2026
1 Min
CPE: ‘Not clear’ when contract talks will conclude as April changes ruled out
Arthur Walsh,
27 Mar 20261 Min
In Business news
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Community Pharmacy England has said there will be “no immediate changes” to contractual arrangements for pharmacies when the next financial year begins on April 1.
Talks between CPE, the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England are ongoing and “it is not yet clear” when they will wrap up, the negotiator informed the sector this afternoon (March 27).
The CPE statement continued: “Until negotiations have concluded, arrangements will continue as they are currently.
“The contractual framework rolls forward until the conclusion of negotiations and any changes to funding and services are introduced.
“In the meantime, DHSC has applied a margin uplift to the April drug tariff.
“Once the outcome of negotiations is determined, further fine tuning of the drug tariff may be required.”
Outlining the process, CPE explained that the negotiated settlement is voted on by a small number of pharmacy owners representing different segments of the sector.
It added: “The committee, as pharmacy owners themselves, are managing the same financial and operational pressures as you.
“Their top priority is negotiating a more sustainable CPCF – including improved margin delivery, fees, reimbursement – and making the case for a multi-year roadmap with DHSC and NHSE to give pharmacies long-term certainty.
“We will update pharmacy owners on these important outcomes as early as possible.”
Funding talks began on February 27, although pharmacy owners are in the dark as to the matters for discussion as the Department’s opening letter has not been published.
Labour has indicated that the possible launch of a new prescribing service in 2026-27 is among the matters to be explored during negotiations.
Describing the delays as "deeply disappointing," National Pharmacy Association chief Henry Gregg said: "The government must stop treating hard working pharmacies as second class citizens. If financial arrangements can be put in place for GP colleagues with ample time before April, there is no excuse as to why the same courtesy can't be afforded to pharmacies.
"Given this inexcusable delay, the government should provide pharmacies with an urgent stabilisation payment so they can meet increased business rates and living wage costs hitting them in just a matter of days.
"Without stabilisation, pharmacies will have no choice but to cut back services that patients depend on.
"This is not only a question of money, it is also about showing due respect to hardworking and long-suffering members of the NHS team, who should not be made to wait for progress on bridging their funding gap."
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