D. Callcut / Alamy Stock Photo
Pharmacies could work together, or with GP practices, to improve neighbourhood health provision, but competition law may be preventing this, a report commissioned by Community Pharmacy England (CPE) has said.
The report — ‘A prescription for success: the role of community pharmacy in delivering the ten-year health plan’ — published on 25 November 2025, draws on the ‘Vision for community pharmacy’ and how this fits with the government’s ten-year plan for the NHS.
The report is authored by Helen Buckingham, chair of National Voices, a coalition of health and social care charities in England. Buckingham was previously director of strategy and the Nuffield Trust.
The latest report points out that, in the ‘Vision for community pharmacy’, published in 2023, the Nuffield Trust and King’s Fund identified that the GP and community pharmacy contracts are constructed in a way that disincentivises collaboration.
“This is true not only in relation to tension between GPs and community pharmacies, but also between pharmacies themselves, as individual businesses,” the report said.
“Many pharmacies would in fact like to collaborate further, perhaps working in a more networked approach to ensure a comprehensive range of service provision in a given area, but as businesses, they are concerned that this will leave them open to challenge in the context of competition law.”
It added that the Department of Health and Social Care must consider this and “provide appropriate reassurance” to pharmacies.
Under the NHS ten-year plan, published in July 2025, the government pledged to create a network of neighbourhood health teams.
The CPE-commissioned report also makes five recommendations for policymakers, commissioners and system leaders working with community pharmacy leaders to deliver the plan.
These include embedding community pharmacists in service planning; investing in community pharmacy IT; strengthening commissioning capacity among the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England and integrated care boards; integrating community pharmacy into the NHS workforce strategy; and reforming the community pharmacy contract.
Janet Morrison, chief executive of CPE, said: “This important review of the relationship between the ‘Vision for Community Pharmacy’ and the ten-year health plan sets out a clear pathway to ensure the pharmacies of tomorrow can become a cornerstone of neighbourhood health. It’s landing at a pivotal moment as policymakers are working out how best to implement the ten-year plan and CPE prepares to enter discussions on what comes next for the sector.”
Buckingham said: “Community pharmacies are a familiar presence on every high street, trusted by patients and increasingly recognised for the contribution they make to neighbourhood healthcare, which goes far beyond the dispensing of medicines.
“But there is work to be done at both national and local level to ensure that community pharmacy can fully realise its potential as a cornerstone of the neighbourhood health service. Without investment in both workforce and infrastructure, and a commitment on the part of community pharmacy to continue to transform, there is a real risk this opportunity will be missed.”
Commenting on the report, Malcolm Harrison, chief executive of the Company Chemists’ Association, said: “We urge policymakers and system leaders to work in genuine partnership with the sector to deliver the bold changes outlined in this report. With the right support, community pharmacies stand ready to do even more for patients, freeing up GP capacity, tackling health inequalities, and helping to build a healthier future for all.”
