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Community Pharmacy England (CPE), the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England have begun “exploratory discussions” about reforming the ‘Community pharmacy contractual framework’ (CPCF), The Pharmaceutical Journal has learned.
The contract reform discussions were promised in the CPCF for 2026/2027, with the negotiator saying at the time that it agreed to the one-year contract “on condition of a shared programme of reform with government and NHS England”.
In June 2026, Janet Morrison, chief executive of CPE, told The Pharmaceutical Journal that discussions about reform would kick off before the end of that month.
On 10 September 2026, a spokesperson for the negotiator confirmed: “Exploratory discussions between CPE and DHSC/NHS England on contractual reform began over the summer and will be a major item for the September [2026] CPE committee meeting later this month.
“These talks are likely to be phased both for short-term efficiencies and more long-term reform, given the range and complexity of the potential issues up for consideration.”
In July 2026, Malcolm Harrison, chief executive of the Company Chemists’ Association, told The Pharmaceutical Journal that he would want to see reform include “a clear roadmap to close the acknowledged funding gap, with future funding for procurement and supply linked to rising costs and workload”.
“It must also ensure the margin model reflects today’s buying behaviours, to improve distribution of available margin,” he added.
Gareth Jones, director of external affairs at the National Pharmacy Association, said: “We want to see root-and-branch reform that gives pharmacies financial stability, much greater certainty and transparency over their finances and contributes to what we all want to see, which is a shift of care into the community.”
In addition, Leyla Hannbeck, chief executive of the Independent Pharmacies Association, said that “any reform of the CPCF must put power back in the hands of pharmacies” and address dispensing and operating at a loss.
In a statement published on 8 September 2026, the negotiator also noted that government ministers were being briefed ahead of discussions on the next CPCF.
