Kinnock: Over 1,500 pharmacies secured lower Pharmacy First threshold payment in June
Neil Trainis,
07 Jan 2026
1 Min
Kinnock: Over 1,500 pharmacies secured lower Pharmacy First threshold payment in June
Neil Trainis,
07 Jan 20261 Min
In Business
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The health minister Stephen Kinnock has said a Pharmacy First threshold introduced in June last year which allows contractors to claim an interim fee of £500 for completing 20 to 29 consultations has seen more pharmacies qualify for payments.
Responding to a parliamentary question from Liberal Democrat MP Charlie Maynard who asked what impact assessment on pharmacies was carried out before the Government reduced the window for payment claims from three months to one month, Kinnock said the NHS Business Services Authority provided “advanced notice” in May 2025. He revealed 1,565 contractors received the £500 payment in June.
Kinnock also insisted the changes, agreed as part of negotiations for the 2025-26 community pharmacy contractual framework, would “facilitate more timely payments” and support “pharmacies with lower potential for delivery”.
“(It) has increased the number of pharmacies qualifying for Pharmacy First fixed payments,” he said on Monday. Pharmacies completing at least 30 consultations continue to receive £1,000 monthly payments.
Kinnock revealed 241,340 consultations were delivered in April 2025, 242,077 in May and 254,692 in June. He also revealed 3,996, 3,979 and 4,051 contractors received the £1,000 fixed payment in April, May and June respectively.
However, pharmacists have reportedly struggled to secure Pharmacy First consultations, with some GPs apparently reluctant to refer. Local Medical Council representatives also voted overwhelmingly to pass a motion calling for Pharmacy First funding to be reallocated to general practice during their conference in November.
Rifat Asghar-Hussain, the superintendent pharmacist at Evergreen Pharmacy (Midlands) Ltd in Birmingham, told Independent Community Pharmacist that GPs in his area are unclear about the scope of his Pharmacy First patient group directions and the clinical pathways.
“For example, referral for a patient with flank pain with a urinary tract infection,” he said. “It leads to frustration for both us and GPs and ultimately, this affects the patient if we cannot treat them.”
How are you getting on with Pharmacy First? Email neil.trainis@1530.com and let us know.
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