Jeremy Miles MS, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services
I am pleased to announce the Welsh Government has reached an agreement with the NHS and Community Pharmacy Wales on the terms of the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) for 2025-26. This includes arrangements for distributing a 4% increase to the total funding payable to the sector this year.
Remuneration for community pharmacy falls outside the scope of the NHS Doctors and Dentists Review Body (DDRB) recommendations, however, we previously committed to a fair and proportionate pay uplift across primary care, covering community pharmacies, NHS optometrists, all staff working in general practice and NHS dental services, in recognition of the vital role they play in delivering essential services to people throughout Wales.
The 4% increase in the community pharmacy contract, which equates to an additional £7m this year, will see the value of CPCF fees and allowances rise to £182m – an increase of nearly 30% since 2016-17.
This record level of investment recognises the role community pharmacies play and rewards the effort and dedication of community pharmacy teams. The measures agreed as part of this funding package will help ensure the NHS maximises the use of the skills and expertise of pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and the wider pharmacy team in every community in Wales.
The investment will help to address the immediate challenges facing community pharmacies, while continuing to support progress towards our longer-term ambitions for reform, which are outlined in Presgripsiwn Newydd - A New Prescription.