Reforming the Mental Health Act: Independent review to draft bill
A timeline of reforming the Mental Health Act up to the draft Mental Health Bill, including the independent review, white paper, and pre-legislative scrutiny.

This briefing paper outlines the new funding settlement for NHS contractors providing services under the community pharmacy contractual framework, announced on 20 October 2016. Compared to 2015/16 levels, the funding settlement includes a reduction of 4% in 2016/17 and a further 3.4% in 2017/18.
Community pharmacy funding (6 MB , PDF)
NHS England is responsible for commissioning NHS primary care services in England, including community pharmacy services. Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are free to commission further services from community pharmacies over and above those commissioned by NHS England, and local authorities are also able to commission public health services from pharmacies. The majority of NHS income for community pharmacies in England comes from payment from NHS England, through the NHS pharmaceutical services contract. The NHS England funding settlement for 2015/16 was £2.8 billion.
On 20 October 2016 the Government announced that funding for NHS contractors providing services under the community pharmacy contractual framework will be:
This represents a 4% reduction in funding in 2016/17 and a further 3.4% reduction in 2017/18.
The announcement also confirmed plans for changes to the way funding is distributed:
The changes take effect from 1 December 2016. The Government has argued that the cuts are necessary as part of wider efficiency savings being made across the NHS. Health Minister David Mowat has stated that the new funding package will lead to better value for money in pharmaceutical services, while ensuring that everybody retains ready access to a community pharmacy. Industry groups and the Opposition have been critical of the cuts, arguing that the cuts will lead to closures of community pharmacies, and that the Pharmacy Access Scheme will not protect pharmacies in the most deprived communities.
The downloadable data file below includes a list of pharmacies in each English parliamentary constituency, along with a summary of which are expected to be eligible for the pharmacy access scheme.
For MPs and their staff, Library researchers can provide maps of pharmacies by local area like the one featured below. Please get in touch to find out more.
Community pharmacy funding (6 MB , PDF)
A timeline of reforming the Mental Health Act up to the draft Mental Health Bill, including the independent review, white paper, and pre-legislative scrutiny.
A Westminster Hall debate on chronic urinary tract infections is scheduled for Wednesday 21 May 2025 at 9:30am. The debate will be led by Luke Taylor MP.
The Mental Health Bill [HL] will have its second reading on 19 May 2025. This briefing provides background to the bill and an overview of its main provisions.