Community pharmacy consultancy — England & Wales
Specialist regulatory and applications support for community pharmacy owners and contractors. We understand the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework and the pressures community pharmacies face.
Supporting community pharmacy owners
Community pharmacy in England and Wales operates under one of the most tightly regulated contractual frameworks in the NHS. The Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) governs everything from the services you provide to the hours you open, and the NHS (Pharmaceutical and Local Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 2013 control who can hold a contract, where a pharmacy can operate and how changes to that contract are made.
For community pharmacy owners and contractors, navigating this framework — particularly when making changes to an existing contract or applying for a new one — is complex, time-consuming and high-stakes. A poorly prepared application can result in refusal, delay or the loss of a significant commercial opportunity.
TI Pharmacy Consultancy works exclusively with community pharmacy owners and contractors. We understand your regulatory environment in detail and we manage the process on your behalf from start to finish.
Free initial discussionAre you a community pharmacy contractor?
You may be looking for help with one of these situations:
- Applying for a new NHS pharmacy contract
- Relocating your pharmacy — change of site application
- Changing your core or supplementary opening hours
- Buying or selling — change of ownership application
- Received a notification of a competitor application
- Had an application refused and need to appeal
- Need ongoing back office and compliance support
- Operating in Wales under the Welsh regulatory framework
The community pharmacy regulatory landscape
Understanding the framework community pharmacy contractors operate within.
NHS market entry
To dispense NHS prescriptions, a community pharmacy must be included in the pharmaceutical list — commonly called market entry. The process is governed by the NHS (Pharmaceutical and Local Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 2013 and administered through PCSE and integrated care boards. Obtaining a new NHS contract is one of the most commercially significant regulatory steps a community pharmacy owner can take.
Understand market entry →The CPCF and your contract
The Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework sets out the essential, advanced and enhanced services community pharmacies provide under their NHS contract. Changes to your contract terms — hours, premises, ownership — require formal applications. TI Pharmacy Consultancy advises on all CPCF-related applications and contract management matters.
View all services →Pharmaceutical needs assessments
PNAs are the primary evidence base for new NHS contract applications and relocations. Every community pharmacy owner seeking to open a new site or relocate needs to understand what the local PNA says — and how it will be applied to their application by the ICB.
PNA explained →Protecting your existing contract
A new pharmacy application near your premises — or a competitor relocation — can directly affect your business. Community pharmacy contractors have the right to make representations against applications that would affect their service area, but only within strict deadlines. TI Pharmacy Consultancy manages this process urgently.
Oppose an application →Community pharmacy services — England & Wales
The full range of applications and support services TI Pharmacy Consultancy provides for community pharmacy contractors.
New pharmacy contract applications
Full market entry application support for community pharmacies seeking a new NHS contract in England or Wales.
Find out more →Change of site / relocation
Relocation applications for community pharmacies — no significant change and significant change — managed end-to-end.
Find out more →Opening hours variations
Core and supplementary hours applications under the current dual-route framework introduced in June 2025.
Find out more →Change of ownership
Support for community pharmacy acquisitions and disposals — PCSE applications, fitness documentation and completion coordination.
Find out more →Opposing competitor applications
Protecting your community pharmacy from new entrants and competitor relocations — urgent representation support.
Find out more →Appeal support
If your application has been refused, or a competitor application granted, we prepare and manage appeals to NHS Resolution.
Find out more →Back office support
Ongoing administrative and compliance support for community pharmacy businesses — routine submissions, ICB correspondence and contract management.
Find out more →Compliance & quality
GPhC inspection preparation, Pharmacy First support, controlled drugs compliance and pharmacy governance — alongside our applications work.
Find out more →Wales community pharmacy
Community pharmacy applications under the NHS (Pharmaceutical Services) (Wales) Regulations 2020 — a distinct framework from England.
Find out more →Frequently asked questions
A community pharmacy contractor is a person or body that holds an NHS pharmacy contract — formally, an entry on the pharmaceutical list — and provides NHS pharmaceutical services to the local population. Community pharmacy contractors range from sole pharmacist-owners with a single premises to larger groups operating multiple pharmacies. All are subject to the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework and the NHS (Pharmaceutical and Local Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 2013 in England, or the NHS (Pharmaceutical Services) (Wales) Regulations 2020 in Wales.
The Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) is the agreement between NHS England and Community Pharmacy England that sets out the terms under which community pharmacies provide NHS services. It covers essential services (which all NHS pharmacies must provide), advanced services (which pharmacies can choose to provide if they meet the requirements) and locally commissioned enhanced services. Changes to your contract terms — premises, hours, ownership — require formal applications under the regulations.
You are not legally required to use a consultant. However, the NHS pharmacy regulations are complex, the application process is lengthy and the consequences of a poorly prepared application — refusal, delay, loss of commercial opportunity — can be significant. Many applications that fail do so because of procedural errors or insufficient evidence rather than because the proposed pharmacy was unsuitable. Professional advice at the outset is one of the most cost-effective steps a pharmacy owner can take.
Wales operates under a separate regulatory framework — the NHS (Pharmaceutical Services) (Wales) Regulations 2020 — administered by local health boards (LHBs) rather than integrated care boards (ICBs). The application routes, assessment criteria, timescales and appeals processes differ from England. Advice based solely on the English regulations will not necessarily be correct for a Welsh application.
Contact us for a free initial discussion. We will review your situation, explain your options and give you an honest view of your prospects before you commit to anything. There is no charge for the initial discussion.
Talk to a community pharmacy specialist
Every enquiry starts with a free initial discussion. Tell us what you are trying to achieve and we will give you an honest view of your options.
Get in touch today