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The House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee has called for a complete overhaul of the community pharmacy contract model in England, in its final report published following its inquiry into pharmacy services.
In the report, published on 29 May 2024, the committee said the current ‘Community pharmacy contractual framework‘, published in July 2019, was “evidently not fit for purpose”, and that it had contributed to financial pressures being faced by pharmacies.
The report also said that the committee had been told of annual shortfalls of “at least £67,000 per pharmacy in England” up to “around £100,000” by pharmacy representative organisations during evidence sessions held as part of the inquiry.
It added that any new framework must close the gap in funding that has appeared during the current five-year deal; reduce complexity and “de-risk” the purchasing price of medicines.
A new framework should also ensure funding is “explicitly available” for both dispensing and clinical services to avoid the current situation where one pays for another, the report said.
The committee has made several other recommendations to the UK government, including a review of the effectiveness of serious shortage protocols and a call for an update to regulations within three months to allow community pharmacists to make dose and formulation substitutions for out-of-stock medicines.
An extended story on the report can be found here.
