Community Pharmacy England (CPE) “does not have a precise timeline” for the reform agenda promised by the government in the new pharmacy contract, its chief executive has confirmed.
At a press briefing earlier today, Janet Morrison said a date is being put in the diary “very shortly” to meet with pharmacy minister Stephen Kinnock and “kick off the definition” of the “joint programme of reform” between the government and CPE.
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But she warned that this will involve “big work streams” and CPE will have to “prioritise where we can work most productively”, looking at what can be done in the short-term and “what will be longer-term pieces of work”.
“I don’t have a precise timeline, but it’s an absolutely urgent piece of work that we need to do, and we just need to work out how we can deliver it,” she said.
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CPE announced last week that as part of the 2026/27 pharmacy funding deal, the government had “confirmed its intention to take forward a joint programme of reform” with CPE to “support a sustainable and resilient community pharmacy network”.
The negotiator said at the time that “this commitment was a significant factor” in its decision to accept the £3.636bn funding package offered to the sector.
Areas to address
Speaking at the press briefing, Morrison outlined “three main themes” that must be addressed in the reform programme, with the first concerning margin and medicine supply.
“That might also be in the shorter term about distribution, or the speed at which we can measure margin, but also to look at alternative models,” she said. “Are there other ways to deliver the same objectives for government and for the sector?”
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The second area will be clinical services and the “future network” needed to deliver them, Morrison added, as well as the “broader strategy for the part that community pharmacy can play”.
And the “third piece underpinning all of that” will focus on the contract, funding and reimbursement, she said.
“Challenging process”
Morrison also stressed that CPE has “got to be realistic” about what reforms it can deliver, as there is “not one consistent view from the sector about how we should be funded or what the contract should look like”.
She said it will be a “challenging process” for the negotiator, who will have to “try and build it in terms of bite-sized chunks [so] that we can actually make some progress”.
CPE will provide more information when it has “pinned that down with the minister” and had the committee’s “input about how to deliver on it”, she added.
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It comes after an exclusive letter from Morrison to C+D readers explained why CPE’s decision to accept the funding offer was a reluctant one - and how rejecting it would risk the ongoing progress made towards the long-term future of the sector.
“The truth is that this deal was the best that could be achieved in the circumstances, and accepting it was the best course of action for the sector for the future,” Morrison said.
