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Reimbursement for pharmacists employed under the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) in GP practices will rise by 1.7%, under the network contract directed enhanced service (DES) for 2025/2026, NHS England has announced.
According to the contract, published on 1 April 2025, the maximum reimbursable amount for Band 7–8a clinical pharmacists in primary care networks (PCNs) and general practice on a national level will rise to £66,972, which is an increase from £65,838 in 2024.
In addition, the maximum reimbursable amount for Band 7–8a clinical pharmacists in inner and outer London PCNs and GP practices will rise by 1.6% — an increase from £76,313 to £77,545 and £73,189 to £74,392, respectively.
Pharmacy technician roles nationwide will see a 2.2% increase in the maximum reimbursable amount, which increases from £42,437 to £43,352.
The maximum reimbursable amount for outer London pharmacy technician roles will increase by 2%, — an increase from £48,991 to £49,967.
Similar roles in inner London will also see a 1.9% increase in the maximum reimbursable amount, which increases from £51,176 to £52,172.
The ARRS scheme began in England in 2019 and enables PCNs to claim salary costs for additional general practice staff to support the needs of their local population. In addition to clinical pharmacists, ARRS roles include pharmacy technicians, podiatrists and dieticians.
Graham Stretch, president of the Primary Care Pharmacy Association, said: “Any increase is welcome, but the increase in national insurance contributions for [general] practices and PCNs will impact on the ability of employers being able to pass on any increase.”
Stretch added: “On the whole, PCN CDs [clinical directors] and partners find pharmacy professionals the most valued of their ARRS staff, evidenced by continued increases in numbers.
“In order to retain and recruit skilled and motivated staff, employers will continue to need to offer uplifts to the basic reimbursement, and competition on salary from other sectors may be a factor for some pharmacists and pharmacy moving back to other sectors.”
According to data from NHS Digital, as of December 2024, there were 7,329 pharmacists and 2,531 technicians working in primary care and general practice.
In December 2024, a study published in the British Journal of General Practice reported that the use of ARRS roles in PCNs was linked with lower prescribing rates and higher patient satisfaction in GP practices.
A study, published in February 2025, said that clinical pharmacists working in GP practices make “statistically significant” improvements in the quality of prescribing.
In particular, the study found reductions in the total costs of medicines per 1,000 patients, the total number of opioid prescriptions per 1,000 patients and the average daily quantity of anxiolytics per 1,000 patients.
