This would bring the global sum down to £2.687 billion – slightly above the £2.63bn announced by the Department of Health (DH) in its original funding announcement last December.

However, this time the DH has also unveiled plans to reduce funding for 2017-18 by 7.4% on current levels – bringing it down to £2.592bn, PSNC said this morning (October 14).

The negotiator has rejected the offer, which it said is “rooted in the government’s professed aim to close pharmacies”.

It pointed out that there is “no substantive difference between the current proposal and the proposal announced in December 2015”.

“Unlike all previous negotiations between community pharmacy and the DH, this year’s negotiations were not characterised by collaborative working. From the start, the proposals were presented by the DH as a fait accompli,” it said.

“The proposals will lead to free health services being withdrawn from community pharmacies,” it warned.

“The DH has not published evidence in support of its plan to reduce pharmacy funding,” the negotiator added. Instead, it had ignored a recent report showing the £3bn net benefit the sector makes to the NHS, PSNC stressed.

Read PSNC’s full letter to the DH, sent today, here.

Last night, pharmacy minister David Mowat outlined proposals for community pharmacist to play a greater minor ailments role. The full story will appear on the C+D site this morning.