The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), NHS England (NHSE) and Community Pharmacy England (CPE) have agreed to delay the requirement for pharmacies to deliver one Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM) consultation per month as part of the Pharmacy First ‘bundling’ conditions.
The move follows representations from CPE, as well as feedback from pharmacy owners and their teams – many of whom reported struggling to get patients to accept ABPM after a high clinic blood pressure reading.
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Pharmacy First bundling requirements came into force on 1 June 2025, meaning pharmacies must be registered to deliver the Pharmacy Contraception Service, Hypertension Case Finding Service and Pharmacy First – in addition to delivering the minimum number of clinical pathway Pharmacy First consultations – to receive a fixed monthly payment.
The ABPM requirement, which was due to come into effect from 1 October 2025, would have added an additional monthly consultation target for contractors.
‘While the decision by ministers provides little notice to pharmacy owners of this change, we hope the news will be welcomed by them,’ a spokesperson for CPE said.
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In June, the Company Chemists' Association warned that if the planned ABPM requirement came into effect, it could result in lost payments and make Pharmacy First provision unviable for many pharmacies.
NHSE is currently reviewing the role of home blood pressure monitoring in the diagnosis of hypertension, in line with the 2025/26 community pharmacy contractual settlement.
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CPE said home monitoring could provide a more suitable alternative for patients who are unwilling or unable to tolerate ABPM, and better reflect diagnostic practices already in use in general practice.
Further discussions between CPE, DHSC and NHS England are expected in the coming weeks as part of a wider review of the Hypertension Case-Finding Service committed to in the 2025/26 contractual settlement.
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