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Mandeep Mudhar on the role IP pharmacists can play as the sector contract evolves

Pharmacy independent prescribing is becoming a firm development in primary care, shifting pharmacies from a supply and dispensing role to a more clinical patient therapy and management service.

The Government’s recent £340m additional funding agreement is a significant milestone in this, that will see greater recognition for independent prescribing within community pharmacies.

The investment, announced in May and officially beginning in Autumn 2026, will establish a contractual framework where pharmacists will be able to assess patients and prescribe medicines directly.

Furthermore, it will build on the success of Pharmacy First by increasing the range of services to be offered. This will aim to deliver on-the- spot care for even more common conditions and give patients access to a wider range of medicines.

This in turn will reduce unnecessary GP referrals and ensure patients receive faster care in their local community.

The new framework must set a precedent for future contract development, as there can be no turning back from the current direction of travel for community pharmacy.

The removal of £239m clawback repayment as well as creating protected learning time also is a further boost. It will now be vital to embrace this new contract and that we remain aligned and united across the sector.

If we excel at delivery of both the new and existing services available and ramp up the number of active independent prescribers, then we can negotiate the next contract and any consecutive ones from a position of strength.

Now is the time to give the government no reason to doubt why pharmacy should continue to get the greater amount of funding in the primary care sector.

Organisations like Alphega support their members to make the most of the opportunities created through the new framework, while also providing training and digital initiatives to help pharmacies deliver their growing and evolving role.

With this new investment, we know the future of community pharmacy looks stronger. As the new framework is implemented, community pharmacy will become an even more embedded part of the wider healthcare system.

Mandeep Mudhar is head of Alphega UK