A plan to reform the health service – which includes a bigger role for community pharmacies – has been published by the Government today.
The highly anticipated 10-Year Health Plan sets out the Government’s priorities for healthcare in this Parliament and the next. For community pharmacy, the plan outlines an increasing role in the management of long-term conditions and delivery of vaccinations. It also commits to modernisation of dispensing and working to integrate community pharmacy into the Single Patient Record system which will be developed by the NHS.
Acknowledging that ‘there is now strong evidence that a bigger role for pharmacy can deliver efficiencies’, the plan describes how pharmacy will ‘bring health to the heart of the high street’ through a new Neighbourhood Health Service. This will see community pharmacies supporting people to manage complex medication regimens, as well as providing treatment for obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. They will also play a bigger role in prevention through screening services and vaccine delivery, including providing a catch-up service for the HPV vaccination.
To support the transformation, the Government has committed to engaging with the sector on modernising the approach to dispensing medicines and making better use of technology, including dispensing robots and hub and spoke models.
The plan is a culmination of months of engagement with the public and healthcare leaders, including those from the pharmacy sector. As well as submitting detailed proposals during the consultation phase, Community Pharmacy England has continued to influence the plan as a member of the Partners Council, during recent negotiations, through collaboration with the other primary care professions and engagement with policy influencers.
The proposals are broadly aligned to Community Pharmacy England’s aspirations, but we do not yet have full details on how the community pharmacy services will operate. We are keen to begin negotiations with Government for the 2026/27 Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) as early as possible to ensure that these proposals will be implemented in a way that works best for our sector, underpinned by appropriate funding and seeking to avoid adding any unnecessary workload.
For now, the Department of Health and Social Care is continuing to determine the funding allocations for different parts of the NHS following last month’s Spending Review announcement, and also taking into consideration the various elements of this 10-Year Health Plan.
Further information on the plan is included below.
Janet Morrison, Chief Executive of Community Pharmacy England, said:
“The 10-Year Plan will bring sizeable change to the healthcare system, and so it is encouraging to see that the Government has listened to our messages about the value and potential of community pharmacy.
“We have been saying for some time that pharmacy teams are well placed to offer more support for the management of long-term conditions, complex medicines regimens, and key public health areas such as obesity. Longer-term ambitions to give pharmacies a bigger role in vaccinations and screening, and to better integrate patient records are also important developments for the sector. This all aligns well with our service development priorities, demonstrating how our carefully orchestrated influencing programme, meetings with the Minister, and membership of the 10-Year Plan Partners Council has paid off.
“Whilst we welcome the changes for community pharmacy in this plan, we are keen to start discussing the practicalities as soon as practicable. The development of each new service needs to be carefully managed given the sector’s current capacity and tight finances.
“The 10-Year Plan should also act as a springboard for the development of a pharmacy-specific plan for the future. To deliver this level of transformation, we now need to see action on the Government’s commitment to a long-term future for the sector, and for 2026/27 negotiations to begin soon. It’s clear that the strategy to show politicians how many solutions pharmacy has to offer is working – but that now needs to be backed by sustainable funding to enable community pharmacy to reach its potential.”
Further information on the 10-Year Health Plan
The Government’s plan is centred around its three healthcare shifts: sickness to prevention, hospital to community, analogue to digital. Below is a summary of the announcements relevant to community pharmacy.
Pharmacy as a high street health hub:
- Community pharmacies will become integral to managing long-term conditions, obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
- Pharmacists will be able to independently prescribe and contribute to complex medication regimens.
- Inspired by Canada’s Pharmacy Care Clinics, UK pharmacies will offer minor ailment support and long term condition management.
- Expansion of pharmacy roles in vaccine delivery and screening for cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Prevention and public health:
- As previously announced, pharmacies will deliver emergency hormonal contraception for free by the end of 2025.
- From 2026, pharmacies will administer HPV vaccinations to women and young people who missed them in school.
Digital tools and integration:
- Pharmacies will be securely linked to the Single Patient Record, enabling seamless care and visibility for GPs.
- Patients will be able to manage medicines, book vaccinations and access pharmacy services via the NHS App.
- Pharmacy innovations will be surfaced through the HealthStore – a digital marketplace for approved health tools.
Modernising dispensing:
- Plans to modernise dispensing medicines using robots and hub-and-spoke models.
- Public and sector engagement on proposals to ensure 21st-century readiness.
Cost of living and access:
- As previously announced, prescription charges have been frozen to support affordability.
- As previously announced, investment in pharmacies to provide mental health support (through expansion of the New Medicine Service) and accessible care on the doorstep.
Weight loss medication
- The NHS will expand access to weight loss services and treatments, including GLP-1 medications like tirzepatide, through innovative delivery models which may involve community pharmacies as convenient access points for patients.
- The Government is establishing partnerships with industry to offer treatments on a “pay for impact on health outcomes” basis, which could further integrate pharmacies into long-term obesity management strategies.
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