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The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has said it will not be recommending that its members take collective action, having previously advised members to limit pharmacy services from 1 April 2025 “if no new and sufficient funding is delivered”.
The NPA’s announcement, published on 25 April 2025, follows agreement on a new pharmacy contract, which represents a “clear step forward”.
Under the two-year contract that was announced in March 2025, community pharmacy funding will increase by more than £600m over two years.
In addition, the government agreed to a £193m write-off of historic margin overspend.
The NPA said it now wanted to work with the government on the reform of primary care “with community pharmacy at its heart”.
However, it added that NPA members are still “deeply concerned” that investment remains “significantly below the estimated costs of providing services for millions of patients”.
“Although the government’s funding offer was a strong positive signal to the sector and is the first real-terms increase pharmacies have seen since 2014, it still leaves community pharmacy facing a gap of around £2.5bn, according to NHS England’s independent economic analysis,” the NPA said.
In a statement, published on 17 March 2025, the NPA advised members to begin collective action — reducing opening hours and services — from 1 April 2025, unless extra funding for the community pharmacy sector was provided.
The NPA added that this collective action would be “the first time in the NPA’s 104-year history that such a move has been taken”.
Nick Kaye, chair of the NPA, said: “It is clear that the government has inherited an intolerable situation and the latest announcement is a step forward after 11 years of funding squeezes. After much careful deliberation, we have decided not to recommend our members take collective action in light of this offer, which we hope can act as a turning point after many years of neglect.
“We are concerned that, despite much needed additional investment, pharmacies will face a substantial gap and some will still need to make tough decisions in the short term to keep their doors open.”
“We are glad that ministers have listened to patients and pharmacies. We want to work with them to deliver their ambition to create better outcomes for patients and the health service and a sustainable long-term future for pharmacies by reforming the broken contract between pharmacies and the NHS,” added Kaye.
Pharmacy minister Stephen Kinnock said: “This is good news for patients around the country.
“This government inherited a pharmacy sector neglected by years of funding squeezes, which is why we made the difficult but necessary choices at the budget, and acted quickly to provide the first real-terms increase to the sector since 2014 — an extra £617m over two years.
“Pharmacies are integral to the fabric of our communities, and we want them to play a bigger role as we shift care out of hospitals through our Plan for Change.
“I look forward to working closely with the NPA, as we build a stronger community care system with pharmacy at its heart.”
