With negotiations on the 2026/27 Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) expected to begin this autumn, Community Pharmacy England CEO Janet Morrison gave an important sector update at this week’s Pharmacy Show.

Janet delivers her keynote speech

Janet outlined how Community Pharmacy England has been preparing for the upcoming CPCF negotiations and working to drive better outcomes for the sector.

Drawing on external expertise, the team has been reviewing various funding scenarios and economic analyses to feed into Community Pharmacy England’s negotiating objectives. This was supplemented with input from sector bodies and individual pharmacy owners following a summer of regional workshops, opinion polling, and written submissions.

Janet acknowledged the severity of ongoing financial pressures in community pharmacy. The 2025/26 settlement had helped keep pharmacies going but it was by no means a complete fix, she said. Almost all of the Single Activity Fee increase has been absorbed by pre-planned increases in Employers National Insurance and National Living Wage, as well as ongoing inflation and attrition of margin recovery.

The Committee’s number one priority is to close the funding gap.

However, Janet reported that all primary care representative bodies have been warned of a gloomy outlook as the Spending Review requires Government departments to work within very tight funding envelopes for the rest of this Parliament.

Turning its 10-Year Health Plan into priorities and an implementation plan will require the Government to make difficult choices, Janet explained. Ministers will be looking to make the most out of their limited funds, and focus will likely be on incremental changes that make a difference in areas that the public (and media) pay most attention to – i.e. the 18-week hospital referral target, access to GP appointments, and A&E waiting times.

There is no start date for negotiations yet confirmed, but Community Pharmacy England, which is a committee of pharmacy owners, has carefully considered its negotiating strategy ahead of their commencement, working to influence Government spending decisions at every stage and aligning potential clinical solutions with Government objectives, such as those outlined in the 10-Year Health Plan.

Elsewhere at the Show, members of the Community Pharmacy England Committee and team ran masterclasses and participated in key panel discussion on the future of the sector and the 10-Year Health Plan. We also spoke with visitors to our exhibition stand across the two days.

Thank you to all community pharmacy owners and others who took this opportunity to speak with us, sharing views and asking questions.

Janet Morrison said:

“It was great to be back at the Pharmacy Show again this year. There’s always a large crowd, providing an excellent opportunity for us to speak directly with pharmacy owners and others doing valuable work in and with the sector.

This past year has been a rollercoaster for pharmacy owners, from the uncertainty of what a new Government would bring, through a sorely needed funding boost and hopes for a new plan for the NHS, to the ongoing pressures of delivering critical services for local communities. As ever, community pharmacy teams continue to deliver when it matters most, going above and beyond to continue to support patients despite their own challenges.

I heard many stories of the personal struggles behind the data we’ve been gathering, but also of the sheer determination of pharmacy owners to do whatever they can to keep going. With conversations like these fresh in our minds, we are more than ready to enter negotiations on the CPCF for 2026/27.”

Elsewhere at the Pharmacy Show

Once again Community Pharmacy England had a significant presence at the Pharmacy Show this year. Members of the team led and participated in sessions on important topics such as the 10-Year Health Plan, pharmacy funding, integrated neighbourhood teams, MP engagement, and hub and spoke. We also met with many fellow pharmacy supporters and attended presentations from others.

The Community Pharmacy England team talking to just some of the visitors to our stand. 

Thank you to everyone who visited our exhibition stand during the Show. This helped us to connect with hundreds of people, including pharmacy owners, team members, and other professionals working in pharmacy or other parts of the healthcare landscape. All of these conversations help shape our negotiating strategy and workstreams, building a better future for community pharmacy.

See more from our days at the Pharmacy Show on our X account.

The post Pharmacy Show hears about work to drive better outcomes for sector appeared first on Community Pharmacy England.