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The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has warned that it may be left with “little choice” but to advise pharmacies to take collective action over delays to pharmacy contract negotiations.
In a statement published on 8 January 2025, the NPA said that continued delays to negotiations on the ‘Community pharmacy contractual framework’ (CPCF) meant pharmacies were being “left in the dark”, with some pharmacy owners forced to take out “six figure loans” to stay afloat.
The current CPCF arrangements expired on 31 March 2024, meaning pharmacies “have been working without a new contract since then, despite now being more than nine months into the financial year”, the NPA said.
“In contrast, the government have already offered GPs their contract for the next financial year, with pharmacies still left in the dark,” it added.
In December 2024, health secretary Wes Streeting said that pharmacy minister Stephen Kinnock would be starting negotiations on the contract “shortly in the new year”.
However, the government has not yet started the negotiations, the NPA said.
It added that the continued delays may leave NPA leaders with “little choice but to advise pharmacies to take collective action later this month for the first time in their history”.
In November 2024, pharmacy owners voted in favour of collective action over funding levels in a ballot run by the NPA.
Of the NPA members who voted — representing 3,399 independent community pharmacies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland — 99% were in favour of limiting their services in the interest of patient safety if improved funding is not forthcoming.
“Around 90–95% of an average community pharmacy’s income is derived from delivering NHS services set out in their contract, such as dispensing medication, providing medicines advice to people leaving hospital and supporting NHS vaccination campaigns,” the NPA said.
“However, funding has been cut by 40% in real terms over the [past] decade, at the same time as workload has substantially increased, leading to 700 pharmacy closures in the last two years alone.”
Nick Kaye, chair of the NPA, said: “The seemingly endless delays to this year’s contract negotiations are unacceptable and leave hardworking pharmacies left abandoned in the dark, causing them stress and uncertainty about their future.
“The last thing pharmacies want to do is to withdraw vital services from patients as a form of collective action, but we may be left with little choice unless things improve.”
He added: “Offering GP colleagues a contract offer for the next financial year, before even starting negotiations with pharmacies for this year, has only inflamed this situation further.
“The government must get around the table as soon as is possible to end the crippling uncertainty and offer reassurance and security to pharmacies so they can serve their communities with confidence.”
Sukhi Basra, a pharmacy owner based in central London, said: “The prolonged delays in contract negotiations for community pharmacies in England have left us fighting not only for our livelihood but also for the very essence of what we’ve built.
“We’ve always gone above and beyond for our patients. Late-night openings, weekend services and the extra time we gave to those in need were part of who we were as a pharmacy. But now, those services are gone. The reality of operating on such tight margins has left us with no choice but to cut back. Each decision feels like a failure — not of effort, but of resources.”
Ashley Cohen, a pharmacy owner based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, said: “The fact we are now into 2025 without the government sitting down with our negotiating body leaves me incredulous.
“I am part of the NHS, and I rely on about 90–95% of my funding on an NHS contract. I am looking at April [2025] with the introduction of national insurance contributions and increases in the national living wage as a cliff edge.”
Under the autumn budget, set by the UK government on 1 November 2024, employer ‘class 1’ national insurance contribution rates will rise from 13.8% to 15.0% in April 2025, while the national living wage will increase from £11.44 to £12.21 per hour.
