Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to engage with independent pharmacies to establish the basis for a fair and equitable contract to be offered to community pharmacy.

The Government consults with Community Pharmacy England on arrangements for remunerating and reimbursing community pharmacy contractors. Community Pharmacy England represents all pharmacies in England including independent pharmacies.

For 2025/26, funding for the core community pharmacy contractual framework has been increased to £3.073 billion. This represents the largest uplift in funding of any part of the National Health Service, over 19% across 2024/25 and 2025/26. Any future contractual framework for community pharmacy will also be developed in consultation with Community Pharmacy England.