News » England, Pharmacy Owners' News, Political News, Rurality » Pharmacies seen as first point of contact in new NHS prescribing plans
March 18th 2026
DHSC has set out its ambition for pharmacies to become a first point of contact for “prescribing-based services” in new guidance to support the roll out of the NHS 10-year plan for England.
Supported by greater independent pharmacy prescribing from September, ICBs will focus on using pharmacies to deliver more patient group direction (PGD) led services, improve the management of everyday prescriptions, and reduce overprescribing.
Neighbourhood health framework concludes: “Our ambition is for pharmacies to be a first.”
The framework, which makes no mention of rurality, also highlights the role of new integrated health organisations (IHO), which are expected to manage primary care contract types, including General Medical Services and community pharmaceutical services - although contracts will continue to be negotiated on a national basis.
IHO contracts will be held by designated NHS trusts, and commissioned by ICBs. IHO contract holders will hold a whole population health budget for a geographically defined population and be able to allocate resources and design services to support the shift to neighbourhoods.
According to DHSC, this model “will empower highly capable providers to lead change through their understanding of local population need, knowledge of activity and costs, and ability to engage frontline clinicians in service redesign. IHOs will undo needless NHS fragmentation and create incentives to invest in community-based preventative care.”
The DDA will respond to the associated consultation to ensure rurality and the role of dispensing GPs are recognised in the plans. These will include a discussion on how primary care networks might evolve into single neighbourhood providers (SNPs).
Further information on the new 10-year model, available from NHS England, states that single neighbourhood providers (SNPs) will enable primary care to take on new neighbourhood services that are not currently contracted under general practice contracts (General Medical Services (GMS), Personal Medical Services (PMS) or Alternative Provider Medical Services (APMS).
