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Integrated care boards (ICBs) must “maximise” use of Pharmacy First and roll out new services in community pharmacies, NHS England has said.
In its planning framework for 2026/2027 to 2028/2029, published on 24 October 2025, NHS England laid out plans for ICBs to support primary care access and increase the role of community pharmacies.
Under the plans, ICBs will be asked to embed Pharmacy First approaches to “utilise available pharmacy capacity to support primary care pressures”, introduce prescribing-based services into community pharmacies during 2026/2027 and maximise use of the discharge medicines service to reduce medicines harm and hospital readmissions.
In addition, NHS England called for ICBs to expand access to emergency contraception through community pharmacies and make the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination available in pharmacies for women and young people who did not receive it at school.
As well as setting out performance targets and requirements for NHS organisations, NHS England’s first multi-year planning framework — the frameworks were previously annual — outlines next steps to implement the ten-year NHS health plan for England, published in July 2025.
From 29 October 2025, pharmacies will begin providing free oral emergency contraception through the expansion of the pharmacy contraception service.
In its ten-year NHS health plan, the government announced that, from 2026, pharmacies will administer HPV jabs to women and young people who missed them in school.
NHS England’s planning framework also sets out plans for ICBs to ensure community pharmacies have enabled the capability for patients to track their prescription status and transition all messaging to the NHS App.
In August 2025, NHS England said that almost 400,000 people had tracked their prescription since the launch of tracking in the app in May 2025. The tracker allows patients to see if their prescriptions are ready to collect or whether they have been dispatched for home delivery.
The planning framework also asks ICBs to “continue developing relationships between general practice and community pharmacy to support access to pharmacy services”.
Earlier in October 2025, members of the British Medical Association’s GP Committee and UK Council wrote to GPs telling them not to direct patients to Pharmacy First, as it had “significant potential to undermine us”, and to instead direct patients to A&E.
However, on 10 October 2025, The Times reported that BMA leaders said the letter was a “back-office cock-up” sent in error.
The BMA has since written to health secretary Wes Streeting, advising GPs to direct patients to community pharmacies and other services when GP capacity is breached.
Commenting on the guidance, Janet Morrison, chief executive of Community Pharmacy England, said: “It is reassuring to see the government re-affirm several recent announcements for the development of community pharmacy services. This is something we know that the public supports and that the wider NHS needs to happen.
“However, these changes can only be implemented once the government has delivered on its key commitment to build a sustainable funding and operating model for the sector. This is something we have been and will continue to make clear to policymakers as we prepare to enter the negotiating room to debate the 2026/2027 [community pharmacy contractual framework].”
Malcolm Harrison, chief executive of the Company Chemists’ Association (CCA), said: “Community pharmacies are uniquely placed to provide a first port-of-call service for routine primary care, improving access for patients, reducing waiting times, and reducing pressures and freeing up capacity in other parts of the NHS.
“The success of the Pharmacy First service has already demonstrated the transformative potential of pharmacy-led care. Expanding the service could free up to 40 million GP appointments annually. The framework’s call to embed Pharmacy First approaches is a clear signal that community pharmacy is part of the way forward in delivering accessible, timely and local care.
“We are encouraged by plans to introduce prescribing-based services during 2026/2027. However, it is vital that there is clarity on the availability of DPPs [designated prescribing practitioners], to ensure minimal disruption to the community pharmacy workforce. In order for patients to have a consistent level of service across the country, the CCA would like to see a national framework for a prescribing service, ensuring equitable access for patients nationwide.”
Amandeep Doll, director for England at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, said: “We welcome NHS England’s continued commitment to expanding the role of community pharmacy through Pharmacy First and new services such as emergency contraception and HPV vaccination. These plans recognise pharmacists’ vital contribution to improving access and easing pressure across primary care.
“Embedding prescribing-based services in community pharmacy has the potential to transform patient care, but it will need sustained investment, protected learning time and the right workforce support to ensure the services are sustainable. This underlines the importance of pharmacy leadership within ICBs to enable this to happen.”
