£340 million pharmacy boost brings faster care to the high street
Patients will benefit from more services and treatments from their community pharmacy, as part of a new deal.
- Patients will see quicker access to treatments at their local pharmacy, avoiding GP referrals under new agreement
- Government to roll out NHS-funded independent prescribing, bringing more care closer to home, as part of £340 million deal
- Qualified pharmacists will deliver more NHS care on the high street, expanding successful Pharmacy First service
Patients across England will benefit from more services, treatments and better access to medicines from their local pharmacy under a new £340 million government-funded deal.
Under the new contractual framework, pharmacists who hold an independent prescribing qualification will be able to assess patients and prescribe medicines directly, building on the success of the Pharmacy First service. This delivers on-the-spot care for common conditions and gives patients access to a wider range of medicines.
The changes, which will be rolled out from autumn 2026, will reduce the number of referrals back to GPs, boosting efficiency and improving both patient experience and outcomes. It will also lessen the burden on hospitals, as patients will be able to receive further treatment for common conditions from a qualified pharmacist in their community - avoiding the need to go to an urgent treatment centre or A&E.
Minister of State for Care, Stephen Kinnock, said:
Through our landmark 10 Year Health Plan, we are making the most of our highly skilled pharmacists, while boosting access to services and giving patients more care right on their doorstep.
Independent prescribing will play a major part in delivering this shift - easing pressures on GPs, cutting unnecessary red tape and helping patients get the right care closer to home.
Dr Amanda Doyle, National Director for Primary Care and Community Services at NHS England, said:
Community pharmacies already play a vital role in delivering NHS care closer to home, and this agreement will make it easier for patients to get advice, treatment and medicines through their local pharmacy.
Expanding independent prescribing will help make better use of the clinical expertise within our community pharmacy teams, helping patients get the right care in the right place while helping reducing pressure on other NHS services.
Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for England, David Webb, said:
This is great news for patients that community pharmacists will for the first time be able to prescribe NHS medicines across a range of health conditions as a nationally commissioned service.
I want to thank everyone involved in making possible this huge step towards a more effective use of our highly trained workforce in community pharmacy. Community pharmacies will be enabled to play a more integrated role in neighbourhood health teams, digitally connected and helping people access the medicines they need when they need them.
Over 3.3 million Pharmacy First consultations were delivered between March 2025 and February 2026, an increase of 43% on the previous 12 months. Almost 9 in 10 (86%) people using the service reported a positive experience of visiting their pharmacy for support for one of the 7 common conditions covered by the service.
The £340 million funding package and rollout of independent prescribing has been agreed with Community Pharmacy England.
Today’s announcement follows record investment over the past 2 years and a raft of measures to deliver more services to patients, including:
- making the ‘morning-after pill’ available free of charge at pharmacies on the NHS for the first time ever, ending the postcode lottery women face in accessing the medicine and reducing inequalities
- offering patients suffering depression convenient support at pharmacies when they are prescribed antidepressants, to boost mental health support in the community
- cutting red tape and bureaucracy to give patients easier access to consultations, with more of the pharmacy team able to deliver a wider number of services such as:
- medicines and prescriptions advice
- Pharmacy First consultations for minor conditions
- carrying out blood pressure checks
- boosting financial incentives for pharmacists to identify patients with undiagnosed high blood pressure
- boosting funding for medicine supply so patients have better access to the medicines prescribed for them
Janet Morrison OBE, Chief Executive of Community Pharmacy England, said:
We welcome the agreement reached for community pharmacies in 2026 to 2027, which includes an important commitment to a programme of reform for the sector. It also opens the door to pharmacist prescribing - a first step towards making fuller use of their clinical expertise.
We hope these changes, accompanied by appropriate future investment, will help pharmacies to play an even greater role in supporting patients, improving access to care, and helping people get the advice and treatment they need in their communities.
Malcolm Harrison, Chief Executive, Company Chemists’ Association, said:
Today’s announcement recognises the longstanding and significant economic challenges facing the sector.
We welcome continued efforts to close the widely acknowledged pharmacy funding gap.
Independent prescribing is a generational opportunity to expand the care that pharmacies can provide to patients. This announcement is the first step in realising this opportunity.
Under Pharmacy First, patients already have access to advice, over-the-counter treatments and prescription-only medicines under patient group directions, which are the instructions for supplying or administering medicines.
This includes a range of minor health conditions affecting the ears, nose, throat, eyes and skin, among others. It provides rapid access for patients on their high street while taking pressure off GPs.
Community pharmacies are crucial to the 10 Year Health Plan and shifting care out of hospital and into the community, as part of neighbourhood health services.
Independent prescribing will be rolled out nationally from autumn 2026.