ARRS pharmacy technician numbers fall for the first time since 2024
The number of pharmacy technicians employed through the additional roles reimbursement scheme (ARRS) has fallen for the first time since July 2024, new figures show.
The latest NHS England primary care network workforce figures show that the number of full-time equivalent pharmacy technicians dropped from 2,175 in March 2026 to 2,165 in April 2026.
This is the first time that the number of FTE pharmacy technicians employed by primary care networks (PCN) has dropped since numbers fell from 1,921 in June 2024 to 1,914 in July 2024.
Meanwhile, figures also show that number of FTE pharmacists has fallen for the first time in 11 months, down slightly from 5,761 in March 2026 to 5,756 in April.
This is the first time that there has been a fall in the number of FTE pharmacists employed by PCNs since numbers dropped slightly from 5,438 in April 2025 to 5,437 in May 2025.
The new figures come the same week a new report by the Company Chemists’ Association (CCA) warned that rising numbers of pharmacists employed through the ARRS has had a ‘destabilising effect’ on pharmacists.
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The CCA’s report into introducing independent prescribing into community pharmacies said the increase in pharmacists working in primary care had not been matched by the number of new registrants entering the workforce.
CAA chief Executive Malcolm Harrison added: 'While the latest figures show a very small month-to-month decline in the number of pharmacists employed through the ARRS scheme, this needs to be viewed in the wider context of the pharmacy workforce as a whole.
'The recent Community Pharmacy Workforce Survey (CPWS) showed a reduction of almost 3,000 pharmacists in a single year. PCN workforce data shows a 332 FTE rise in pharmacists over the last year. This is smaller than previous years but still shows a trend of continuing growth.
'The introduction of the ARRS has enabled the recruitment of more than 6,000 FTE pharmacists into GP practices, with the majority believed to have come from community pharmacy.
'This has contributed to workforce pressures in the sector and supports our view that ARRS has had a destabilising effect on community pharmacy workforce.
'It is essential that there is sustainable investment in community pharmacy. Without it, there is a risk that workforce shortages in the sector will continue, undermining community pharmacy’s ability to meet growing demand, and deliver expanding clinical services.'
Total ARRS staff numbers drop for first time in 12 months
The Pharmacist also found that the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) ARRS staff fell by 123 from a peak of 27,890 in March to 27,767 in April.
This is a drop of just 0.4% but is the largest monthly fall in records going back to March 2020.
The figures also show that the number of FTE staff fell in April across 14 ARRS roles, compared to eight which saw increases while 16 remained static.
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This is the first time since April 2025 that staffing numbers fell across more roles than they increased.
As well as pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, roles which saw staffing decreases in April included care coordinators, social prescribing link workers (non-mental health practitioners), paramedics, physiotherapists, trainee nursing associates and general practice assistants.
Meanwhile, the number of FTE GPs employed by PCNs rose for the 18th month in a row from 1,099 in March to 1,113 in April.
April is the first month that changes to the 2026/27 GP contract come into force that allow PCNs to hire experienced family doctors through ARRS, not just newly qualified ones.
The new contract DES said that to support the recruitment of GPs, the maximum reimbursement amount that PCNs can claim will rise from £82,418 in 2025/26 to £118,759 in 2026/27 and to £120,921 for GPs in London.
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Physician associates continue to fall
The data also show that the number of physician associates (PA) employed by PCNs has fallen for the 21st consecutive month to 982 in April. This is 138 (12.2%) fewer FTE PAs compared to April 2025, when there were 1,120.
The trade union representing PAs, United Medical Associate Professionals (UMAPs), has said the continued decline in physician associate (PA) numbers is evidence of the ‘managed dismantling’ of a workforce that provides millions of appointments in primary care.
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