Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework – What is changing for 2023/24
6 Jul 2023
New regulations affecting community pharmacy contractors have been introduced by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) as the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) for 2023/24 takes a new direction.
The changes are separate from any changes that might be negotiated pending the outcomes of the Primary Care Recovery Plan (PCRP) and are, industry experts say, to reflect the sector’s financial struggles.
What has changed:
As part of the changes to the CPCF, the Government has confirmed that
- The Pharmacy Contraception Service (Tier 1) started on 24 April 2023.
- The Community Pharmacist Consultation Service (CPCS) has been extended to cover referrals from Emergency Departments and Urgent Treatment Centres from 15 May 2023.
- “In the 2023/24 financial year there will be a reduced Pharmacy Quality Scheme (PQS), compared to the scheme originally planned last year.” – This change will result in a reduced list of activities for contractors with a value of 60 per cent of the originally planned PQS – equal to £45million. The remaining £30 million of additional PQS funding will be used to reduce fees to prevent an over-delivery of fees in this financial year
- A flat fee of £70 million will be paid out to contractors every month from April – This was negotiated by the PSNC last autumn and is in recognition of the difficult economic times that the sector faces.
- From 25 May, new Regulatory changes have been implemented that allow some flexibility for contractors to:
- Close for rest breaks
- Manage closures via ICB local hour plans.
This latter point will allow 100-hour pharmacies to reduce their core hours but also require pharmacies to ensure that business continuity plans to deal with temporary suspensions of service.
Need further advice on these changes?
If you are concerned about the recent amendments listed above and would like advice on the impact that they may have on you or your business, please contact us.
