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National Pharmacy Association chair Olivier Picard said changes to the Pharmacy First claiming window indicate the health service’s approach is “designed to catch people out” as some contractors miss out on payment for work they have completed. 

In a LinkedIn post yesterday (January 15), Mr Picard said some NPA members who delivered Pharmacy First consultations “in good faith” have been told they won’t be compensated because of a “tightly enforced claim deadline that many contractors neither reasonably understood nor were properly warned about. 

His remarks were in reference to a policy change that came into effect in June 2025 that means all Pharmacy First consultation claims must be submitted by the end of the month after they occurred. 

Prior to this, pharmacies had a three-month window in which to submit their claims.

“Many pharmacies don’t even realise they’re missing money,” said Mr Picard, adding: “Statements appear “successful”, yet Pharmacy First payments are absent. 

“Contractors are only discovering the issue long after the window has closed, when it’s already too late.

He commented: “This is not a system designed to support frontline care. Instead, it is a system designed to catch people out.” 

Last September, P3pharmacy revealed that Shrivenham contractor Graham Jones had missed out on more than £1,600 in payment for Pharmacy First consultations the NHS agreed he had completed.  

Mr Jones said the NHS Business Services Authority was “stonewalling” him in a dispute over whether his claims were submitted on time, commenting: “It seems to be bureaucracy ruling common sense. 

“None of the people responsible for this policy understand community pharmacy. 

“We’re not businesses with big admin departments, these are often family-run firms having to deal with a multitude of different issues simultaneously.” 

An NPA spokesperson told P3pharmacy the organisation had heard from "a number of pharmacies who have had these issues" but was unable ot provide a "definitive figure" for how many NPA members have been affected.

An NHSBSA spokesperson commented: “The NHS Business Services Authority is directed by the Department of Health and Social Care to make payments for NHS Pharmacy First consultations that meet the criteria set out in the Drug Tariff. We are not responsible for any changes to the Drug Tariff, and do not have discretion to process claims that fall outside of the time limit set out in the Drug Tariff.   

“We encourage pharmacy contractors to submit their NHS Pharmacy First claims as soon as possible.”