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NHS England has confirmed that the publication of an evaluation report on community pharmacy advanced clinical services, which was nationally commissioned through the ‘Community pharmacy contractual framework’ (CPCF), has been delayed until spring 2025.
The qualitative analysis report, which was tendered for £250,000 to research institute RAND Europe, was originally planned for publication by 31 October 2024, with an interim report due by April 2024, in advance of the next community pharmacy contract.
However, NHS England told The Pharmaceutical Journal on 7 January 2025 that RAND Europe is yet to complete coding of data and, therefore, unable to “draw their own impartial conclusion” until further work is completed.
NHS England added that “if [the report] is released early in its incomplete form, the limited initial findings could infer inaccurate suggestions relating to the pharmacy sector and its operation”, which has the potential to be “publicly and professionally damaging to the sector and ultimately impact patient confidence in services”.
The original document for the evaluation, published as part of the tender package in October 2023, said it will “identify the types of service where community pharmacy is likely to be successful in the future, and could further support system delivery across integrated clinical pathways” and “understand the patterns and trends of what influences the success of clinical services in community pharmacy”.
It included that the evaluation, scheduled between January and September 2024, will cover all CPCF advanced clinical services, national vaccination services and the discharge medicine service. The evaluation will also include an analysis of the provision of clinical services by distance-selling pharmacies.
Locally commissioned services, along with services still at the pilot stage, were not due to be included in the evaluation, although it could look at how locally and nationally commissioned services interact.
Negotiations for the CPCF 2024/2025 are currently on hold and yet to recommence since being halted for the general election in May 2024. The current contract expired on 31 March 2024.
Wes Streeting, secretary of state for health and social care, said in December 2024 that the negotiations will resume “shortly in the new year”.
On 9 January 2025, Community Pharmacy England (CPE) told The Pharmaceutical Journal that the pause in CPCF negotiations is unrelated to the delays in the NHS England-commissioned evaluation report.
The National Pharmacy Association warned on 8 January 2025 that it may be left with “little choice” but to advise pharmacies to take ‘work-to-rule’ action, including limiting services, if delays to contract negotiations continue.
In a statement issued on the same day, CPE said: “It is unacceptable that community pharmacy’s negotiations have not yet re-commenced since being halted for the general election in May 2024 — putting services to patients and medicine supply at further risk.
“CPE is deeply frustrated and angry — negotiations must re-commence this month, as we have been told they will, if we are to avoid the sector collapsing.”
