A new route that aims to provide pharmacies with ‘more scope’ to change their core opening hours will be available from 23 June 2025, it has been confirmed.

The move had been agreed as part of contract negotiations between the government and Community Pharmacy England (CPE) earlier this year and was laid before parliament on Monday.

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The existing two-part process to apply for a change in opening hours will remain, but a new one-part route will also be available for use from 23 June. While pharmacies can choose to use either, both must be sent to the local integrated care board (ICB).

The new application route uses a ‘single regulatory test’ which states that the ICB must seek to ensure that those accessing the service are ‘likely to benefit from the changes’.

‘This application route considers the needs of people who are accustomed to accessing pharmacy services at the applicant's pharmacy, and the opening hours and provision of pharmacy services by the applicant's pharmacy,’ according to a briefing document from CPE.

'The new route gives more scope for pharmacy owners to apply to change the dates and times of their core opening hours,' CPE added.

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The existing application route uses a two-part regulatory test which covers:

  • First, whether the proposed changes to core opening hours maintain as necessary the existing level of service provision and, if not
  • Second, whether they will maintain a sustainable level of adequate provision in circumstances where this is unnecessary or unrealistically achievable.

In comparison to the new route, this existing approach ‘considers the needs of people in the area, and the opening hours and provision of pharmacy services by the applicant’s pharmacy and other pharmacies in the area’, said CPE.

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When the new route was first announced at the end of March, CPE had said the change would make it easier for pharmacies to change their opening hours.

This ‘should enable pharmacy owners to change their opening hours to days and times that better serve their patients and likely users of the pharmacy, and in some cases, close at quiet times or out-of-hours', CPE added at the time.