The number of MURs contractors can deliver will be capped at 200 from April 1 to September 30, as part of interim funding arrangements announced by the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) this afternoon (March 8). 

Explaining the cap, PSNC said: "Further discussions about the [MUR] service will form part of the wider [contract] negotiations."

PSNC hopes to begin these negotiations "in the next month", during which it has previously said it will propose a service-based contract, a move to a multi-year settlement and funding for the implementation of the EU scanning law – the Falsified Medicines Directive.

It "hopes that any substantive changes to the community pharmacy contractual framework will be agreed in time to be implemented from October", PSNC added.

Single activity fee may be adjusted

As part of the interim funding arrangements anounced today, funding for England’s pharmacies will remain at its current level of £2.592 billion.

The single activity fee "will be set to continue to deliver funding at this rate", the negotiator said.

However, the level is "still under discussion with the Department of Health and Social Care, and as such, may be adjusted later this year".