A total of 1,356 pharmacies in England – around one in 10 – will receive money from the government's "pharmacy access fund" to offset the worst of the incoming cut to funding.

A C+D analysis of the full list of these pharmacies – published by the Department of Health yesterday (October 20) – revealed that 312 (23%) of those listed belong to the three largest multiples.

This figure consists of 124 Boots branches, 56 Well branches, 107 Lloydspharmacy branches, as well as 25 Sainsbury's branches – which transferred over to Lloyds last month. 

A total of 36 Asda and Morrisons pharmacies will receive financial protection, as will 47 Rowlands branches and 37 Day Lewis pharmacies.

Distance-selling pharmacies were not eligible for the scheme, the DH said.

A full list can be found here.

Still expected to make efficiencies

The payment will amount to "roughly" £2,900 per month for 2016-17 and £1,500 per month for 2017-18, the DH said yesterday.

However, these pharmacies must still make efficiency savings of 1% in 2016-17 and 3% in 2017-18, it stressed.

To make it onto the list, pharmacies have to be more than a mile away from another pharmacy "by road" and not in the top 25% of pharmacies according to dispensing volume, the DH said.

It added: "Pharmacies that might have narrowly missed out on the access scheme through the distance criteria, but are in an area of high deprivation, will be eligible to ask for a review."

"This will cover pharmacies that are located in the 20% most deprived areas in England and are 0.8 miles or more from another pharmacy, and are critical to access," it added.

"Funding for successful reviews will be made available as required from outside of this package," it added.