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Numark chairman Harry McQuillan has said he is optimistic the latest contractual settlement for community pharmacy is the first step Labour will take to filling the huge funding gap that was exposed by the economic analysis.

McQuillan (pictured), who led Community Pharmacy Scotland for 17 years, told Independent Community Pharmacist the £3.073 billion for 2025-26 and write-off of £193 million in margin overspend “is a positive step forward” but insisted it “cannot be the last”.

The analysis estimated the full economic cost of providing NHS pharmaceutical services in England in 2023-24 was £4.397 billion to £5.730 billion. The implication of that is a potential funding gap of around £2.7 billion in community pharmacy.

CPE achieved best it could at time of exceptional public fiscal constraint

McQuillan was philosophical about the situation, suggesting that although the new agreement fails to provide an immediate remedy to pharmacy’s funding problems, he was confident the Government will achieve that “over a short number of years”.

Insisting Community Pharmacy England “achieved the best it could at a time of exceptional public fiscal constraint”, he said: “It secured a funding uplift for community pharmacy and is the first step towards stabilising the sector and securing its future.

“As I predicted in an earlier statement, the increase does not deliver the output of the economic review. What it has done, is begin the transition to delivering that figure over a short number of years and I commend the Government and CPE’s commitment to do so.”

McQuillan said the Government’s pledge to direct £215 million into Pharmacy First was “strategically important” and he maintained the write-off of £193 million in margin overspend was “very welcome news”.

He also said the settlement marked a “further shift towards a service-based model of practice” and referenced Numark’s 12 principles for the future of community pharmacy practice as aligning with that approach.