July 17th 2026

By Ailsa Colquhoun

Rural ICBs to trial single national formulary

At least eight rural ICBs will be the first to implement the new Single National Formulary, NHS England has announced

The briefing announces that four therapy areas will be subject to the new standardised categorisation system in a 13 ICB trial by December.

The four therapy areas are:

• chronic heart failure
• type 2 diabetes (adult)
• ophthalmology
• asthma

The 13 areas – half of all ICBs - to pilot the new system are:

• Essex
• Norfolk and Suffolk
• Central East
• West Yorkshire
• Hampshire and Isle of Wight
• Humber and North Yorkshire
• Thames Valley
• Shropshire/Telford and Wrekin/Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent
• Coventry and Warwickshire/Herefordshire and Worcestershire
• North Central and Northwest London
• Northeast London
• Southeast London and Southwest London
• Greater Manchester

Announcing the SNF as part of its NHS 10-year plan, NHSE says that at least 51 different categories are being used in local formularies across England. It says this has created a system that is “… not only complicated, but also inconsistent depending on where a patient lives”.

The next group of therapy areas will be considered before the end of 2026 enabling NHSE to launch the first SNF digital product including eight to 12 therapy areas by July 2027.

This second group will include more complex areas where the SNF can act as a strategic enabler particularly around innovation, genomics, pathway transformation, service readiness and variation in access. Additional therapy areas will be added until mid-2030.

The DDA welcomes the move if it helps reduce duplication, tackle variation and improve predictability in demand for medicines.

However, it says this must be accompanied by a fundamental review of medicines reimbursement and remuneration for the dispensing service.