Category M prices increase whilst community pharmacy funding remains the same

The Department of Health and Social Care and the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee have agreed that Category M prices will increase by £10m per month from April 2019, whilst community pharmacy funding will remain at its current level of £2.592 billion until negotiations on a new community pharmacy contract are complete. For the moment the single activity fee will remain at £1.26. It has also been agreed that pharmacy contractors will only be able to deliver up to 200 medicines use reviews in the first six months of 2019/2020 as this will form part of future contract negotiations, and pharmacies eligible for Pharmacy Access Scheme payments will still receive them. No further Quality Payments Scheme requirements or checkpoints have been set.

CEO of the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee, Simon Dukes, said: “We are pleased that DHSC and NHS England expect to be in a position to begin negotiations on community pharmacy shortly and we are looking forward to exploring with them developments that will ensure that community pharmacies can play a key part in the developing primary care systems for the benefit of patients. In the meantime, this interim funding arrangement will protect current funding levels for pharmacies and we welcome the £10m monthly increase in Category M prices.”