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In plans for neighbourhood health services, the government said it will support local prescribing services in England through national digital infrastructure, as well as improve data sharing between hospitals and neighbourhood health services.
The ‘Neighbourhood health framework‘, published by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England on 17 March 2025, has set out a commitment to “direct prescribing to community pharmacy”.
“Over time, as the number of prescribing-trained pharmacists grows, the ability to manage demand in primary care will rely on pharmacy teams, including prescribers, managing a greater volume of patient need. We will support this through national digital infrastructure,” it added.
The framework also said all integrated care boards (ICBs) would be expected to “strengthen pharmacists’ role in delivering care, recognising that pharmacies are one of the most accessible parts of primary care”.
“As pharmacies become increasingly established in supporting prevention and treating minor illness, our ambition is for pharmacies to become a first point of contact for more patients to support demand on general practice.”
It also noted that all ICBs will “radically” increase the capacity and efficiency of virtual wards, with initial areas of focus including care for people with frailty or at the end of life, children and young people, those living with cancer and people with multiple long-term conditions — particularly cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and dementia.
The document has also set out new NHS structures, including integrated neighbourhood teams (INTs), single and multiple neighbourhood providers (SNPs and MNPs) and integrated health organisations (IHO).
Community pharmacy services “will continue to be commissioned in accordance with national contracts, with the ICB delegating commissioning responsibilities to the IHO, if an IHO is agreed and constituted”, the framework said.
“The NHS will amend national contracts and funding flows so ICBs can ensure the provision of INTs is commissioned effectively at an appropriate scale to serve patient cohort.”
The government will also consult on how the different provider types will work together with general medical services’ contracts and the Primary Care Network Directed Enhanced Service, “including how primary care networks might evolve into SNPs”.
The Pharmaceutical Journal has approached the DHSC for comment on how community pharmacy might fit into this picture.
Tase Oputu, chair of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s English Pharmacy Board, commented: “Pharmacists will be central to the government’s ambitions around prevention and delivering more care closer to home.
“Making a success of neighbourhood health will depend on making the most of pharmacists’ skills, including the new generation of pharmacist prescribers.”
She added: “Pharmacy must be included as an equal partner from the outset, building on local relations across primary and secondary care to design and deliver new services that work for patients.
“This must be backed by digital infrastructure, sustainable investment and support for pharmacy in the forthcoming workforce plan.
“All these changes are coming alongside significant cuts to ICBs, and with pharmacy teams already under pressure, it is vital they get the support they need so they can keep looking after patients.”
In October 2025, ICBs were encouraged to continue local prescribing pathfinder sites, where possible, with support from a payment of £1,500 per pathfinder site and access to prescribing IT system Cleo Solo. ICBs were also told they must introduce prescribing-based services into community pharmacies during 2026/2027.
In January 2026, the Health and Social Care Committee warned the government that lower pay and a lack of career progression for community pharmacists would mean the shift to neighbourhood health would not be delivered, calling for the upcoming workforce plan to address the challenges.
