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Community Pharmacy Scotland has accepted a financial offer from the Scottish Government for reimbursement in 2025/26, while discussions about strategic service developments continue.

The offer, detailed in NHS Circular: PCA (P)(2025) 07, guarantees a minimum for reimbursement of £120 million, up from £110 million in 2024/25.

In addition to this there is an increase in the value mapped from the Scottish Drug Tariff by £20 million resulting in the current £80 million increasing to £100 million. This £100 million will be delivered as guaranteed service income.

Amendments to the Scottish Drug Tariff will be published on the Public Health Scotland website shortly.

The delivery of the Guaranteed Minimum Income will be closely monitored monthly throughout the year and further action to support contractor cashflow will be considered if appropriate, the Scottish Government says.

CPS and the Scottish Government made the joint decision to begin negotiations with the initial focus on reimbursement arrangements to prevent a delay on this part of the deal whilst further discussions continue.

CPS’ chief executive Matt Barclay said: "We agreed with Scottish Government to work on what we could with the financial package when we could. This is effectively the first part of the deal, supporting network cashflow in the event of a medicines market downturn linked to the Drug Tariff through the Guaranteed Minimum, and crucially mapping further guaranteed money to support strategic service lines for patients. We are continuing to work hard to get more resource into the contract in line with the CPS Board objectives for 2025/26”.

In the recently published First Minister’s NHS Operational Improvement Plan the value of community pharmacy network in delivering NHS Pharmacy First Scotland is recognised. Further expansion of the service is promised by November 2025.

Further support for prescribing training for pharmacists already working in community pharmacy is also set out, with a further 240 places being made available between April and March 2026. “As more pharmacists qualify or train as prescribers this will reduce the requirement to use PGDs when expanding the Pharmacy First service,” the Plan notes.

CPS says it is “delighted” to see the pharmacy network's contribution to patient care is being noticed by government. “The CPS team will work to meet the commitment made in the Plan and improve access to care through the pharmacy network,” it says.

Meanwhile negotiations continue with a focus on the global sum element of remuneration as part of the financial envelope. The CPS Board says it is committed to working collaboratively with the Scottish Government in progressing this next stage.

For the National Pharmacy Association, chairman Olivier Picard, said: “This is good news for pharmacies across Scotland and will help maintain a strong network amid rising costs. National insurance and national minimum wage increases have added to the pressures facing pharmacies alongside growing medicine costs and inflation that has affected every business in Scotland.

“It is reassuring that CPS will be closely monitoring pharmacies’ cashflow to ensure our sector remains sustainable. The pharmacy network is vital for millions of people so it’s important to see commitment from the Scottish Government to maintaining this crucial service and seeing it flourish in the years ahead.”