The final version of the economic analysis of community pharmacy report has been shared with Community Pharmacy England (CPE) and other stakeholders, it has been confirmed.

But the highly anticipated report will not be published before the pharmacy contract talks finish, NHS England (NHSE) has stressed.

NHSE’s national director for primary care and community service, Dr Amanda Doyle has said that while the ‘final report has been shared confidentially’ with CPE, it will not be published before negotiations on the pharmacy contract conclude.

The review, promised as part of the 2022-24 pharmacy contract and commissioned by NHS England, aims to find out the 'full economic costs of delivering NHS pharmaceutical services' and whether NHS community pharmacy businesses are sustainable under the current funding model.

Pharmacies and those representing the sector have been calling on NHS England to publish the review for the sake of transparency in contract negotiations.

Last month, the parliamentary Health and Social Care Committee wrote to NHSE asking for more information on the review.

On Tuesday 18 March, Dr Doyle wrote to the committee stating that NHSE had agreed with CPE 'not to comment publicly on anything related to the uplift or funding arrangements for the sector given we remain in consultation'.

'As such, we will publish the economic analysis report with the outcome of the consultation,' Dr Doyle added.

And she confirmed that NHSE would then publish the report 'in full', as agreed to in the 2023/24 contract letter.

Dr Doyle added: 'CPE have been part of the process of development for the economic analysis and have had access to all outputs since the work commenced.

'The government has also been fully briefed, including on the headlines from the interim report received in late 2024,' she said.

And she said that the final report had 'been shared confidentially with CPE and other stakeholders involved in the analysis'.

A spokesperson for CPE confirmed to The Pharmacist: 'All committee members have now had access to the final full report produced by Frontier Economics.'

Last week, pharmacy minister Stephen Kinnock said the final version of the economic review was 'nearing completion'.

And last Thursday, health secretary Wes Streeting told parliament that community pharmacy funding negotiations were 'about to conclude'.