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NPA urges NHS to re-run the numbers on pharmacy sustainability

The NPA is calling for independent economists to calculate the impact of the recently agreed uplift in pharmacy funding on the fi nancial sustainability of the sector.

An independent analysis, commissioned by NHS England and published by Frontier Economics and IQVIA in March, concluded that NHS funding was failing to meet full running costs for over 98% of pharmacy contracts.

The NPA is calling for the model to be re-run following the fi nancial settlement for 2024/2025 and 2025/2026. A considerable gap NPA director of corporate affairs, Gareth Jones said: “The Independent Economic Analysis proved that there was a very considerable gap between the funding provided by the NHS and the full economic cost of providing pharmacy services. That remains the case even after the uplift contained in the new contract arrangements agreed earlier this year.

“It is crucial that the government continues to focus on the need to make the community pharmacy network more sustainable. Having up-to-date numbers on the sustainability of the sector would assist them in this task.”

The recommendation was among several contained in a NPA report published in May. Other recommendations are:

• Urgent reform of both the pharmacy and GP contracts, with a focus on sustainability, affordability and supporting the government’s strategic shifts and NHS 10-year plan.
• NHS England should commission further work on which clinical services can be most e ciently delivered by community pharmacy as compared with general practice or the wider NHS – which was  not fully answered by the original analysis – with a focus on the economics of future clinical services and the opportunities created by independent prescribers in community pharmacies in England.

Money’s too tight to mention – Lessons from the NHS England-commissioned Independent Economic Analysis of Community Pharmacy Finances, is available on the NPA website to members and non-members. See www.npa.co.uk/representing-you/thought-leadership/

National Cancer Plan for England

The NPA has advised the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to focus, in its National Cancer Plan for England, on prevention, better integrated community care, and combatting inequalities. We also highlighted the crucial role community pharmacists play in helping people manage the side e ects of chemotherapy.

Our key recommendations to the DHSC:

• Mirror diagnostic pathways found in Scotland, allowing English community pharmacists to make same-day urgent GP referrals.

• Consider the role community pharmacists can play in relieving pressures on primary care through supporting the HPV vaccination programme and administering injectable cancer treatments.

• Empower and support secondary care to communicate more e ectively with Independent Prescribers for health support and medicines optimisation for patients undergoing treatment.

• Expand the pilot for early cancer diagnosis in Cornwall and Devon to other regions.

View our full consultation response on the NPA website.

Changes to eligibility criteria for LFD service in England

Due to changes in NICE guidance, the eligibility criteria to receive free lateral flow device (LFD) tests through the service has been amended. Please ensure LFD tests are no longer supplied to these patient groups as soon as possible or at the latest by Monday 16 June 2025.

See cpe.org.uk/our-news/lfd-service-changes-to-patient cohort-eligibility/

New NPA board members

Olivier Picard has replaced Nick Kaye as chair of the National Pharmacy Association, with Nick’s fi xed term in o ce formally coming to an end at an NPA board meeting in May.

Olivier owns and operates four pharmacies in the Home Counties and has served as the association’s vice chair for the past two years. Sukhi Basra takes over as vice chair and Baldev Bange becomes treasurer. Nick said: “It’s right that we regularly renew our board and its officers, in line with the NPA’s constitution.”

“It has been the professional privilege of my career to chair an organisation I care so deeply about. I want to thank the amazing people that work within the organisation and do so much behind the scenes, and my fellow board colleagues that spend time away from their businesses, family and friends and sacrifi ce a lot to represent us all.

“In the last two years, together, we have achieved a lot – including a sustained media campaign raising the profi le of members, our struggles and showcasing community pharmacy as whole, and I do believe this moved the number positively in the English contract negotiations, while also supporting the entire membership across all four nations.

Olivier said: “It’s an honour to take over as chair from my brilliant predecessor Nick Kaye who has worked so energetically on behalf of NPA members and will undoubtedly continue to do so. His are big shoes to fill, but I will wear them with pride. I’ll keep the interests of NPA members at the heart of everything I do.

“As I look forward to the challenges ahead, I’m pleased to be surrounded by high calibre board colleagues and an impressive staff team.

“I will keep asking, why are we here and how can we make things better, together? For me the answer to that question is because we care, because we believe that change is possible, and because we know that our patients, our communities and our colleagues deserve nothing less.”

Sukhi has served her central London community for over 25 years as owner of CliniChem Pharmacy in Victoria. She said: “I am a keen advocate for raising the profi le of community pharmacy, which is a humble profession that is frequently overlooked as a solution for important healthcare challenges. “We are clinicians and specialists in the use of medicines, not shop keepers.

“As the NPA’s fi rst female vice chair, it’s wonderful to be in a leadership position on a board with the highest proportion of female representation in the NPA’s long history.”

Joining the board for the period April 2025 to March 2027, alongside existing members, are Dorset pharmacist Mike Hewitson, Dave Thomas from Cardi and Joanne McMullan representing NPA members in Northern Ireland. Mike Hewitson and Sukhi Basra will serve two years as NPA nominees to Community Pharmacy England (CPE). This will come into e ect from the next meeting of CPE in June.

Members of the NPA board for the period April 2025 to March 2027 are: David Thomas (Wales), Joanne McMullan (Northern Ireland) Mike Hewitson, Baldev Bange, Sukhi Basra, Ashley Cohen, Sanjay Ganvir, Salim Jetha, Nick Kaye, Aisling O’Brien, Sanjeev Panesar, Olivier Picard and Sehar Shahid (Scotland).

The association is saying farewell to several long-serving colleagues who have served, with distinction, their maximum permissible term: Raj Aggarwal OBE, Dr Ian Cubbin, Michael Guerin, Andrew Lane and Raj Patel MBE.

Pressure for fair funding continues

The number of bricks and mortar pharmacies in England has dropped to its lowest for 20 years. The NPA continues to call out the fact that more investment is needed, urgently, to stabilise the network.

Some have asked why the NPA are not calling collective ‘industrial’ action over these sorts of fi gures? The answer is that the deal done in April – to give us some fi nancial uplift – suggests that ministers want to engage and help get our sector on a sustainable footing, and in these changed circumstances we think it’s best to talk.

The threat of collective action strengthened the sector’s arm when funding discussions were underway – but, at this point ,dialogue is the best way to move the agenda forward formembers.

That’s why we’re delighted that Pharmacy Minister Stephen Kinnock has been in touch and is keen to hear more about our thinking on how more investment in community pharmacy can help the NHS tackle some of its most pressing problems.

Meanwhile, we’re doing all we can to demonstrate the professionalism and vital position of community pharmacy – in a way which gains traction with the public and keeps community pharmacy in the news. That’s why we’re continuing to generate a substantial media presence – from hay fever to medicines shortages and weight loss drugs.

We’re taking every opportunity to show why community pharmacy is the right place to invest as the NHS reforms. Our policy and comms teams are working on projects to get our message out loud and clear as we come up to the publication of the NHS 10-year plan, the government’s spending review and the budget, which are so vital for us.

All campaigns go through different stages and we’re no different. We may have changed lanes in our drive for a better future, but the NPA’s not for turning.

Benefits of NPA membership

The NPA is constantly adding value to its membership offer. For example, did you know that NPA members can now access enhanced DBS checks for employers at a discounted rate? If you are an NPA member, please make the most of your membership by leafi ng through the brochure on the NPA Membership hub and using the wide range of services on offer.

New business intelligence solution for independent pharmacies

The NPA and RWA Pharmacy have teamed up to launch a new business intelligence solution for England’s independent pharmacies, called Independents + Insights. Independents + Insights delivers pharmacy data in easily digestible formats – so that pharmacies can seize valuable data insights in seconds, freeing them from the hassle of manual reporting and providing actionableintelligence.

RWA Pharmacy already has a proven track record of delivering award-winning data analytics to pharmacies throughout the UK. Features and benefi ts Independents + Insights provides a comprehensive view that integrates many fundamental data sources for independent pharmacies, such as PMR data, services data, NHS data, PPD data and live drug tariff tracking.

Through combining all these data sources, pharmacy owners will be empowered to make data informed decisions and have better visibility of theirbusiness.

• Expertly crafted for pharmacies: Developed by seasoned analysts with deep knowledge of the pharmacy industry, the solution integrates PMR data, services data, NHS FP34, PPD data, live drug tari tracking, and public NHS data. With minimal set-up time, you can start benefi ting from the solution immediately.

• Automated reporting: Frees up time and eliminate reporting hassle. You receive automated, comprehensive report weekly, monthly, and on-demand through a securelogin

• Actionable insights: Quickly identify hidden opportunities and growth potential in your services. The BI tool makes strategic decision-making simple

• Predict demand: Use patient tracking reports to anticipate needs and trends, including new, overdue, and delivery patients

• Cash flow protection: With the monthly claims report, ensure you never leave money on the table again

• Stay informed: Understand quarterly changes in the drug tari to stay ahead in times of change. Adele Curran West, COO of RWA Pharmacy, said “We have a rich experience working with pharmacy groups across the UK and have wanted to develop something meaningful for independent pharmacies for some time.

“We understand the complexity of their businesses, and the realities faced with tight margins, drug tari changes, losses due to unclaimed scripts and time pressures.

“Our new solution, Independents + Insights is a game changer for independent pharmacy owners. They will be able to visualise their data like never before and put it into action, ensuring the don’t leave any unnecessary profi ts behind.”

Independents + Insights is available now for NPA members in England. Visit www.rwapharmacy.com/ independent+insights for more information.

NEW AND POPULAR NPA RESOURCES

The NPA provides comprehensive support for community pharmacies. Here’s a selection of the wealth of resources available in our website Membership Hub.

Providing services at a distance

Following the updated General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) guidance on providing services at a distance, including the internet, we have published our updated risk assessment, checklist, and remote consultation resources (templates) for members.

Funding distribution and discountdeduction

Following the announcement on funding arrangements for CPCF 2025-26, we have created a calculator that will help NPA members estimate the impact of the changes on businessprofitability.

Pharmacy Quality Scheme (PQS)

We have produced several templates to help support members meet the PQS 2025-2026 requirements and ease their claiming process.

GP Connect Access

Record An update highlighting key features of this key NHS IT system and actions for pharmacy teams to enable them to view real-time, read-only information from patient GP practice records.

Advertising POMs

We have updated our advertising guidance for prescribing and supplying weight management medicines.

New Medicine Service (NMS)

To support upcoming changes in the NMS, a new crib sheet on depression, providing a brief overview of the condition and key counselling points.

New NPA chief executive

Henry Gregg, formerly director of external affairs at Asthma + Lung UK, has begun work as chief executive of the National PharmacyAssociation.

Upon the announcement, in March, of his appointment, Henry said: “I am excited to be joining the NPA at a pivotal time for community pharmacy. I’m looking forward to working with the NPA team, building strong links with government so we can deliver the support pharmacies so desperately need and the bigger role they can undoubtedly play in everyone’s health.

"I want to focus on fighting for pharmacies and raising the profile of their amazing work, but also making sure the NPA is offering the best possible service and support for a network upon which so many people rely. I can’t wait to meet the team and start meeting NPA members across the UK.”

NPA chair, Olivier Picard, said: “It is great that Henry is now with us, to help take the NPA to the next level in terms of support for our members and the wider sector. I’m certain he will also be a compelling voice for independent community pharmacy, following his years of successful campaigning in the health and housing sectors.

"These are exciting times at the NPA. Our membership is growing, a newboard has been formed and now our newchief executive will help modernise and steer the association into our next phase at theheart of community pharmacy across the UK.”

More about Henry

Henry has a huge amount of experience in membership organisations, in public service and in health advocacy. At Asthma + Lung UK, he has led its campaign to ban cigarettes for everyone born after 2009 and smoking outside hospitals, playgrounds and schools, and also pushed for respiratory vaccines and management of lung conditions in community pharmacies.

Henry has also worked at the Health Foundation, lobbying government to invest in the NHS, and held senior roles at the London Boroughs of Newham and Barking and Dagenham, where he was director of strategy and culture.

He led member relations at the National Housing Federation, where he supported the housing sector in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire. He started his career in Parliament and has a wealth of communications, policy and public experience to carry on our great work growing the profile of community pharmacy, providing brilliant services to our members, infl uencing government and supporting our team.

NPA foundation training programme (England)

The NPA has added new options for foundation training designed to supplement the NHS England training programme for foundation trainee pharmacists who start their trainingin 2025.

The training packages available to purchase are: Blended full foundation training package – This includes two face-to-face training days, vaccination pharmacy first clinical assessment skills in September/ October and a clinical face-to-face study day in November (£999+VAT).

Online only full foundation training package – Access to the full package EXCLUDING the two face-to-face study days (£750+VAT).

Exam support package – Mini mock, full mock, access to calculation drop-in sessions and revision questions (£175+VAT) Mock exam – Full length GPhC-style mock assessment (£50+VAT) Our full foundation packages include:

• GPhC registration assessment syllabus and learning outcomes

• Clinical topics (covering BNF chapters, medicines optimisation and high-risk drugs)

• Responding to symptoms and minor ailments

• Law and ethics

• Pharmaceutical calculations

• Delivering pharmacy services including Pharmacy First, New Medicines Service and contraception service

• Working in community pharmacy – including the pharmacy contract, pharmacy funding and the Drug Tariff

• NPA’s accredited Medicinescounter assistant eLearning course

• Leadership training webinar

• Accuracy checking training

• Information governance and risk management

• Drop-in sessions – clinical revision sessions and calculations

• Assessment support – quizzes, calculations, online mini mock and full mock assessments, drop-in calculations and revision sessions

• FREE Designated Supervisor training.