Community pharmacies in Scotland will see a 3.5% increase in funding under the 2026/27 community pharmacy package, the government has announced.
The Scottish government said on September 25 that the global sum allocated to community pharmacies for providing NHS pharmaceutical services will increase by “approximately £8.5m” to £250.483m, up 3.5% on the year before.
It said this also “sets the baseline figure for 2027/28”, while the non-global sum will continue at its current level of £1.3m.
Read more: ‘Not enough’: Scots pharmacies to receive 4% global sum uplift
Guaranteed income mapped from the part 7 (generic) drug tariff funding will increase by £10m to £110m, it added, with this increase delivered through “an equivalent reduction in drug tariff prices”.
The government said £5m will be “allocated to the dispensing pool” between October and December 2026, and again between January and March 2027.
This will distribute funding “consistently across the entire network to recognise increasing costs and work undertaken”, CPS said.
Read more: CPS reveals ‘first part’ of Scots funding deal
The guaranteed minimum income for pharmacies will also increase by £10m to £130m for 2026/27, with delivery “closely monitored on a monthly basis” and action to be taken “on a quarterly basis during the financial year, via a cashflow protection mechanism if required”.
The government said the total guaranteed funding for 2026/27 is £361.78m, and further details on the funding package will follow “shortly”.
No service development funding
CPS noted that the Scottish government’s funding priorities for the deal “did not allow for additional service development funding”, despite the negotiator making the case for investing into new and enhanced services.
It said negotiations focused “heavily on securing stability for the network” as well as “sharing risk” and “addressing immediate financial pressures”.
“Best deal possible”
CPS chief executive Matt Barclay told C+D the negotiator “worked hard to secure the best deal possible for contractors” within the “parameters set by the Scottish government”.
But he called for “further investment” to support the “long-term sustainability and development of community pharmacy”.
“We remain committed to working constructively with ministers and government officials to ensure future funding arrangements reflect the vital and growing contribution community pharmacy makes to patients, communities and the wider NHS,” he added.
Read more: Global sum up £13m for Scottish pharmacies in new funding deal
And National Pharmacy Association (NPA) chief executive Henry Gregg said the uplift was “lower than many had hoped for”, but the body “recognises and appreciates the work CPS has done in getting what they felt was the strongest deal available in the economic circumstances”.
He said the £10m increase in the guaranteed minimum income “will be welcomed” by the NPA’s members, who “now have much needed certainty about the financial envelope for the next 12 months”.
Additional support
The Scottish government also said a repayment of the 2023 advance, which was agreed between itself and CPS at £28.764m, will start when the margin “exceeds £150m”.
And margin sharing will start on a “50:50 basis” between NHS boards and community pharmacy owners when the margin “exceeds £160m”.
Read more: CPS: Fresh negotiation update and new pharmacy minister
Following on from previous years, there has been £2m allocated to support Scotland’s post-registration programme for pharmacists, with the application deadline for this extended to September 30.
It follows the 2025/26 Scottish funding deal that saw a 4% uplift in the global sum, but which CPS said was “not enough to cover the rising operating costs being faced by the pharmacy network”.
