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Community Pharmacy Assurance Framework (CPAF)

Queries regarding the Community Pharmacy Assurance Framework

Please contact pharmacysupport@nhsbsa.nhs.uk with any queries regarding the Community Pharmacy Assurance Framework (CPAF).

Background

NHS England and delegated Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) monitor:

  • the provision of essential and advanced services
  • pharmacy contractors’ compliance, using the CPAF with the terms of the community pharmacy contractual framework (CPCF)

Arrangements for monitoring locally commissioned services may be set out in local contracts or service level agreements.

The process

Pharmacies must complete the CPAF every year. This is a demonstration of compliance with the community pharmacy contract.

The process includes a short questionnaire, consisting of 10 questions. Information collected from this questionnaire helps to identify whether a pharmacy needs visiting.

If a pharmacy is considered for a visit, the full, comprehensive CPAF pre-visit questionnaire will be initiated. This is the second part of the process.

Please contact pharmacysupport@nhsbsa.nhs.uk with any queries regarding CPAF.

CPAF screening questionnaire 2023 to 2024 - Open

The CPAF screening questionnaire is available to complete between Monday 3 July 2023 until 11:59pm on Sunday 30 July 2023.

CPAF 2023/24 screening questionnaire (PDF: 359KB)

Full CPAF questionnaire 2022 to 2023 - Closed

The CPAF full questionnaire is now closed.

The CPAF full questionnaire was available to complete from Monday 7 November 2022 until 11:59pm on Sunday 4 December 2022.

Community pharmacies in England were asked to complete a screening questionnaire in July and August 2022 as part of the CPAF process.

The results of the questionnaire and other information have been used by NHS England ICBs. This was to identify which pharmacies should be:

  • considered for a contract monitoring visit
  • asked to complete the full CPAF questionnaire

The CPAF questionnaire (PDF: 370KB) can be used:

  • as a training tool
  • to allow continuous monitoring of compliance against the community pharmacy contract.

This is a PDF version and cannot be submitted.

CPAF screening questionnaire 2022 to 2023 - Closed

The CPAF screening questionnaire was available to complete between Monday 18 July 2022 until 11:59pm on Wednesday 31 August 2022. It is now closed and no further submissions will be accepted.

A copy of the CPAF 2022 questionnaire (PDF: 270KB) is available to use as a training tool or to allow continuous monitoring of compliance against the community pharmacy contract.

 Full CPAF questionnaire 2021 to 2022 - Closed

The CPAF full questionnaire is now closed.

Community pharmacies in England were asked to complete a screening questionnaire in July 2021 as part of the CPAF process.

The results of the questionnaire and other information have been used by NHS England STPs. This was to identify which pharmacies should be:

  • considered for a contract monitoring visit
  • asked to complete the full CPAF questionnaire

The CPAF questionnaire can be used:

  • as a training tool
  • to allow continuous monitoring of compliance against the community pharmacy contract. 

CPAF questionnaire (ZIP file: 19.9MB)

This ZIP file includes the CPAF questionnaire (PDF: 19.9MB).

This is a PDF version and cannot be submitted.

CPAF screening questionnaire 2021 to 2022 - Closed

The 2021/22 CPAF screening questionnaire is now closed.  No further submissions will be accepted this year.

A copy of the 2021 questionnaire is available for use as a training tool or to allow continuous monitoring of compliance against the community pharmacy contract. This version cannot be submitted.

Full CPAF Questionnaire - 2019/20 Closed

Community Pharmacies across England were asked to complete an initial screening questionnaire in June 2019 as part of the CPAF process.

The results of this screening questionnaire along with other locally held information has been used by NHS England Local Teams to identify which pharmacies should be considered for a contract monitoring visit and asked to complete the full CPAF questionnaire.

A copy of the full CPAF questionnaire (PDF: 236KB) is available for use as a training tool or to allow continuous monitoring of compliance against the community pharmacy contract.  Note that this is a PDF version and cannot be submitted.

CPAF screening questionnaire 2019 - Closed

The 2019/20 CPAF screening questionnaire is now closed.  No further submissions will be accepted this year.

A copy of the 2019 questionnaire is available to view. This is a PDF version and cannot be submitted.

CPAF screening questionnaire responses are available to view online through our Information Services Portal.

Full CPAF questionnaire 2018/19 - closed

Community Pharmacies across England were asked to complete an initial screening questionnaire in June 2018 as part of the CPAF. 

The results of this screening questionnaire along with other locally held information has been used by NHS England Local Teams to identify which pharmacies should be considered for a contract monitoring visit and asked to complete the full CPAF questionnaire.

The process available here describes 2 parts:

  1. Follow up visits to a selection of pharmacies to validate the answers given in the screening questionnaire
  2. Consideration and process to be followed to identify those pharmacies where a comprehensive contract monitoring visit is required

It is anticipated that a total of 1-3% of pharmacies in a region will be visited throughout the course of the year. 

This will include those visited to validate their self-assessments and those who are visited following the completion of the full CPAF questionnaire.

A copy of the full CPAF pre-visit questionnaire (PDF: 235KB) is available for use as a training tool or to allow continuous monitoring of compliance against the community pharmacy contract. 

This is a PDF version and cannot be submitted.

CPAF screening questionnaire 2018/19 - closed

The 2018/19 CPAF screening questionnaire is now closed. No further submissions will be accepted for this year.

A copy of the 2018/19 CPAF screening questionnaire is available to use as a training tool or to allow continuous monitoring of compliance against the community pharmacy contract. This is a PDF version and cannot be submitted.

The CPAF screening questionnaire responses are available to view online through our Information Services Portal.

Full CPAF questionnaire 2017/18 - closed

An initial screening questionnaire went out to pharmacists in June 2017. This was part of the Community Pharmacy Assurance Framework.

NHS England uses the results of this questionnaire, along with other locally held information. This information identifies which pharmacies should be considered for a contract monitoring visit.

These pharmacies were then asked to complete the full CPAF questionnaire.

The process has 2 parts:

  1. Follow up visits to a selection of pharmacies, to confirm the answers given in their screening questionnaires
  2. Following the process to consider which pharmacies need a comprehensive contract monitoring visit

CPAF process 2017/18 (Word: 40KB)

What to expect

It's estimated a total of 1-3% of pharmacies in a region will be visited throughout the year. This will include pharmacies visited:

  • to confirm their self-assessments
  • following the completion of the full CPAF Questionnaire

A copy of the Full CPAF questionnaire 2017 (PDF: 240KB) is available.

You can use this as a training tool or to allow continuous monitoring of compliance against the community pharmacy contract. You cannot submit the PDF version.

CPAF screening questionnaire 2017/18 - closed

The CPAF screening questionnaire closed on Sunday 9 July 2017. No further submissions will be accepted for this year.

A copy of the 2017 screening questionnaire (PDF: 49KB) is available.

You can use this as a training tool or to allow continuous monitoring of compliance against the community pharmacy contract.

Full CPAF questionnaire 2016/17 – closed

The full CPAF questionnaire is now closed. Reports are available on pharmacy contractors who who completed the full CPAF questionnaire.

If you're registered for the our Information Services Portal, you can access your individual report.

If you have not registered for the Information Services Portal and you want to view the reports, contact us.

A copy of the full CPAF questionnaire 2016 (PDF: 233KB) is available.

You can use this as a training tool or to allow continuous monitoring of compliance against the community pharmacy contract.

CPAF screening questionnaire 2016/17 – closed

The CPAF screening questionnaire closed on Sunday 3 July 2016. No further submissions will be accepted for this year.

A copy of the 2016 screening questionnaire (PDF: 53KB) is available.

You can use this as a training tool or to allow continuous monitoring of compliance against the community pharmacy contract.

CPAF screening response report 2016/17

You can access reports containing the 2016 to 2017 CPAF screening questionnaire responses on the our Information Services Portal.

These reports provide a summary of the responses submitted by your pharmacy.

If you're registered for the our Information Services Portal, you can access your individual summary report.

If you have not registered for the Information Services Portal and you want to view the reports, contact us.