Minister questioned over withheld Pharmacy First payments

MPs questioned Dr Zubir Ahmed, under-secretary of state for health innovation and safety, in the House of Commons this morning (12 February) about withheld Pharmacy First payments.

He was asked by Dr Luke Evans, Conservative MP for Hinckley and Bosworth, to make a statement on the withholding of Pharmacy First payments to pharmacies ‘on a technicality’ and what the government is doing to rectify this.

The urgent question follows changes to the claim window for Pharmacy First payments, which was reduced from three months to one month in June 2025 by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) in conjunction with Community Pharmacy England (CPE).

Dr Evans quoted the chair of the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), Olivier Picard, saying: ‘This work was done, patients were treated, the NHS benefited, yet Pharmacy First payments are being withheld.’

The quote continued: ‘Statements appear successful, yet Pharmacy First payments are absent, and contractors are only discovering the issue after the window [for making claims] is closed, and it's already too late.’

The NPA believes the reduced claim window for Pharmacy First payments means that some pharmacies have not been paid for the work they carried out because they did not make their claim in time.

Dr Evans added: ‘Pharmacies are already under intense pressure from this government: tax rises on employment, tax rises on business rates, increases in costs, and now they appear not to be being paid for work already done. I hope the minister will act quickly to put this right.’

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Dr Ahmed responded: ‘We agreed to reduce the claim window in conjunction with CPE as part of our deal for 2025/26, and to introduce a new Pharmacy First fixed first payment of £500.

‘This has supported a broader range of pharmacies and has meant more pharmacies have become eligible for payments.’

He added that the government is in discussions with CPE to consider where improvements to the claiming process can be made to address the concerns raised by contractors and to achieve more consistency for patients.

And following discussions with CPE, the government has introduced provisions in the Drug Tariff that will allow pharmacy contractors to receive payment for claims that were delayed due to IT issues outside of their control, he said.

Helen Morgan, Liberal Democrat MP for North Shropshire, asked the minister if he’d considered a ‘late payment mechanism’ to ensure that if contractors missed the deadline, they could still receive compensation for their work – especially as they adapt to the reduced claim window.

She also raised concerns about the ‘severe’ pressure on pharmacies and the risk of closures in rural, coastal and deprived areas where pharmacies are most needed.

Dr Ahmed reassured her that Stephen Kinnock, minister of state for care, was ‘exploring all avenues for equity of access and funding’ and that ‘there will be a degree of flexibility’ when there are circumstances outside the control of individual pharmacies.

Other MPs reported that:

• GPs were not referring patients to the Pharmacy First service;
• Rural pharmacies could not meet the thresholds for payment, effectively delivering the service for free;
• The Pharmacy First service remuneration does not take into account the amount of time for examination, diagnosis and prescription.

Responding to the question, Dr Leyla Hannbeck, CEO of the Independent Pharmacies Association, said: 'We welcome the fact that the serious problems with Pharmacy First are now being raised in Parliament. The current remuneration model, particularly the absence of any grace period, is simply not workable for community pharmacies already operating under immense pressure.

'Combined with rising National Insurance contributions, increasing business rates, and the higher National Minimum Wage, community pharmacies are being squeezed from every direction.

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'It was encouraging to hear cross-party recognition of the vital role community pharmacies play in supporting patients across the United Kingdom. However, warm words must now be matched with decisive action.'

Legal director at CPE, Gordon Hockey, described the claim window as 'unnecessarily short' and argued that NHS England and the DHSC should make retrospective payments to any pharmacies who missed the deadline, or had other issues with making claims.

'We will also continue to push DHSC and NHS England to agree that across all services, pharmacies should have reasonable windows of time in which to claim for work done for the NHS, with fair systems in place to allow for corrected and discretionary payment options where deadlines are missed or other issues occur,' he added.

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) commented: 'The NHSBSA is directed by the DHSC to make payments for NHS Pharmacy First consultations that meet the criteria set out in the Drug Tariff.' 

The question came as Stephen Kinnock lauded the success of the Pharmacy First advertising campaign which has now been run on several occasions.

Data collected from the campaign run from November to December 2024 showed an increase in public knowledge that pharmacies can treat Pharmacy First conditions from 71% to 79%, and trust in the advice given by pharmacy teams increased from 61% to 70%, he said.

Public intention to use the pharmacy if patients experienced any of the Pharmacy First conditions also increased from 32% to 37%.

Mr Kinnock said: ‘This positive shift in people’s attitudes is reflected through an increased use of the Pharmacy First service.’

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There were 198,794 completed clinical pathways in October 2024, the month before the advertising campaign. This increased to 259,323 completed clinical pathways during December 2024 – a 30% increase.

A second public advertising campaign on Pharmacy First ran from 20 October 2025 to 4 January 2026. Evaluation of this most recent campaign is underway.

Pharmacy leaders recently called for an expanded Pharmacy First service as the scheme hit its two-year mark.