News » Political News, Wales » DDA wins Senedd report approval of dispensing GP funding overhaul
March 27th 2026
Work to examine the arrangements for dispensing doctors in Wales should happen “at pace”, the Welsh Senedd Health and Social Care Committee has said.
A new report, informed by the DDA, urges the new Welsh Government, within 100 days of coming into power, to consider a Wales-specific dispensing contract or funding mechanism that reflects the costs and needs of rural dispensing practices in Wales. This is in preference to tying Welsh practices to a contractual framework set in England.
There is also a call for greater investment in digital solutions for dispensing GP practices to address rural digital exclusion and support modernisation and put them on an equal footing with community pharmacies.
The report follows considerable input to the report by DDA Welsh Chair Dr Fiona Porter who summarises her work in the DDA podcast: Sustainable dispensing in Wales and in the November 2025 briefing paper Dispensing Practices in Wales: Addressing the Disparities
The report acknowledges the DDA's position that dispensing doctors have a vital role to play in rural communities in Wales, saying: “It is concerning to note the issues raised by the Dispensing Doctors’ Association Wales regarding the sustainability of dispensing GP practices in rural Wales, and inequities in the way in which they are funded and supported.”
DDA evidence highlights that dispensing fees have not kept pace with rising costs, which include increases to the National Living Wales, Employer National Insurance contributions and energy costs, the lack of a Welsh specific contract and negotiations entirely tied to English contract negotiations. It concludes: “Despite their importance, dispensing practices are [left] without a direct voice in Welsh policy decisions.” Other issues include exclusion from digital innovation funding and financial strain, with some practices considering staffing reductions, reduced services, or even handing back dispensing rights.
The committee calls for “the creation of an independent Welsh dispensing contract and funding envelope, enabling Welsh negotiation, oversight, and review”.
Responding to the inquiry, Dr Gareth Oelmann chair of the BMA’s Welsh GP Committee said the BMA would also seek a fairer portion of the NHS Wales budget spent on general practice, safeguards to protect patient and GP safety with a national maximum standard of patients per day, a workforce strategy to improve the retention and recruitment of GPs, and measures to address staff wellbeing.
The 2026 Senedd (Welsh Parliament election is due to be held on 7 May 2026 to elect 96 members.
