Independent prescribing officially went live within the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) on 29 October 2026, according to Community Pharmacy England (CPE).

What has started

Prescribing has been introduced as an extension of Pharmacy First and the Pharmacy Contraception Service. Only pharmacist prescribers can prescribe under the CPCF, and they must be onboarded and authorised by the NHS. Consultations must take place at or from the pharmacy premises linked to the NHSBSA Prescribing Cost Centre.

Pharmacist prescribers can prescribe within the existing seven Pharmacy First clinical pathways and within the Pharmacy Contraception Service. There are also five new prescribing-only Pharmacy First pathways, including acute otitis externa in adults, seasonal allergic rhinitis in children aged 4 to 11, mild to moderate acne in young people and migraine in adults aged 18 to 64.

CPE says the Professional Assurance Framework sets out the governance, workforce, training, digital and clinical assurance arrangements that must be in place before prescribing can start.

What it pays

The 2026/27 settlement sets two payments for independent prescribing, according to CPE:

  • £500 set-up payment, paid once. It is paid when a pharmacy owner has signed up to provide the services and has a confirmed go-live date with an NHS-assured electronic prescription service (EPS) system.
  • £525 monthly infrastructure payment, paid on top of the usual Pharmacy First or Pharmacy Contraception Service consultation fees.

Consultations for the new pathways count towards the monthly Pharmacy First minimum activity requirement for the £1,000 or £500 payment, CPE says. CPE also says it has concerns about the specific fees payable for prescribing services.

What integrated care boards must deliver

NHS England has given each integrated care board (ICB) £51,000 in 2026/27 to support community pharmacy prescribing. By 31 March 2027, ICBs must ensure that at least 95 per cent of onboarded pharmacies are delivering prescriber-led consultations through the agreed pathways, and that all onboarded pharmacies show prescribing activity recorded through ePACT, according to NHS England’s letter of 31 July 2026.

NHS England is holding a webinar on 9 November 2026 for pharmacy owners and pharmacists interested in providing prescribing within the CPCF, according to CPE.