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Pharmacy prescribing services in England will be “difficult” to deliver without dedicated new funding, Community Pharmacy England chief executive Janet Morrison has warned.

Speaking at the Pharmacy Show in Birmingham, Ms Morrison said there wasn’t a mandate yet from the Government on how much funding could be allocated to the sector in the new negotiating round. She added that there was a “very gloomy outlook” on future funding availability across primary care.

Around 200 pharmacies are currently taking part in NHS England’s Independent Prescribing Pathfinder Programme, which has delivered more than 30,000 consultations since launching in 2023. The pilots were intended to inform a national commissioning framework by March 2024, although progress has slowed.

Ms Morrison told delegates that CPE had made clear to the Government that it “can’t keep commissioning services” without new money, despite widespread appetite in the sector for prescribing. “That’s a difficult choice,” she admitted.

Negotiations for the 2026/27 contractual framework are now expected to begin later than planned in November, with CPE warning that most pharmacy owners report core funding as insufficient to meet their current business costs.

During the same event, pharmacy leaders echoed concerns about the resources available for pharmacist prescribing. Independent Pharmacies Association board member Ian Strachan said he was “not getting carried away” with the prescribing agenda, warning that “integration can only go at the speed of trust” and that “we are in the right place to do this [but] are not there yet”.

National Pharmacy Association chair Olivier Picard agreed that “with the right level of funding and support”, pharmacist prescribers can deliver services “quicker and better” than others – but not within the current funding envelope.

Company Chemists’ Association chief executive Malcolm Harrison added there was “no funding really being earmarked” for a national prescribing service and called for “a clear and articulate vision for pharmacy” from the Government. 

“I don’t believe there is a money tree that our Chancellor is going to find,” he added.

‘Shocked and appalled’ by infighting

Calling for greater unity in the sector, NPA chief executive Henry Gregg said he was “shocked and appalled” by pharmacists and pharmacy bodies attacking each other online, warning it “damages our reputations” and weakens pharmacy’s voice. It is also a “waste of bandwidth and time”, he said. 

Mr Gregg urged keeping disagreements “behind closed doors” and presenting a united front to patients and the Government.

Since taking office, Mr Gregg has sought greater collaboration between pharmacy bodies and called for closer working with GPs, following last week’s retracted BMA letter advising practices not to refer patients to Pharmacy First services.