The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has published a new framework agreement with NHS Resolution covering 2026 to 2029, setting out the working relationship between the government department and the body responsible for handling clinical negligence claims across the NHS in England.
While the framework is primarily an administrative governance document, its implications extend to pharmacy professionals working in both NHS and community settings.
What is NHS Resolution?
NHS Resolution (formerly the NHS Litigation Authority) manages clinical negligence claims against NHS organisations, operates the Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts (CNST), and runs learning programmes aimed at reducing harm. It handles approximately 15,000 new clinical negligence claims per year across England.
For pharmacists employed by NHS trusts — including hospital pharmacists, clinical pharmacists in primary care networks (PCNs), and those in mental health or specialist trusts — NHS Resolution is the body that would manage any negligence claim arising from their clinical work.
How the framework affects hospital pharmacists
Hospital pharmacists and those employed by NHS trusts are covered by the CNST. The framework agreement governs how NHS Resolution operates this scheme, including:
- Claims handling: the process by which clinical negligence claims involving pharmacy errors — dispensing errors, prescribing errors by independent prescriber pharmacists, or clinical advice failures — are investigated and resolved
- Indemnity cover: NHS-employed pharmacists are indemnified through their employer's CNST membership. The framework ensures this coverage continues under agreed governance standards
- Learning and prevention: NHS Resolution runs maternity and general safety programmes. The framework may influence whether pharmacy-specific safety initiatives receive comparable investment
According to PharmSee's analysis of NHS pharmacy vacancies, 476 active NHS Jobs listings include pharmacist, technician, and dispenser roles across England. All of these positions carry CNST indemnity as standard.
What about community pharmacists?
Community pharmacists working in independent or chain pharmacies are not covered by NHS Resolution or the CNST. They require separate professional indemnity insurance, typically through providers such as the Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA), Pharmacy Mutual, or commercial insurers.
However, the DHSC-NHS Resolution framework may indirectly affect community pharmacy in several ways:
- Pharmacy First and NHS services: as community pharmacies deliver more NHS-commissioned clinical services, the boundary between NHS-indemnified and privately-indemnified care becomes more complex. A dispensing error on an NHS prescription is typically covered by the pharmacist's own indemnity, but a Pharmacy First clinical assessment may raise questions about whether NHS commissioning creates an expectation of NHS-level indemnity cover
- Prescribing pharmacists: independent prescriber pharmacists working across NHS and community settings need to understand which indemnity scheme covers which element of their practice
- Claims trends: NHS Resolution publishes annual data on claims by specialty. If pharmacy-related claims are rising — as the profession takes on more clinical responsibility — the framework's learning programmes may produce guidance relevant to community practice too
The broader picture: pharmacy's growing clinical liability
The expansion of pharmacy's clinical role — through Pharmacy First, independent prescribing, and PCN employment — means that pharmacy professionals face a wider range of clinical liability than at any point in the profession's history. According to PharmSee's salary data, clinical and prescribing roles typically command higher pay, reflecting the additional responsibility and risk.
Pharmacists considering a move from community to NHS employment, or vice versa, should understand the indemnity implications of each setting. NHS employment provides automatic CNST cover; community practice requires separate professional indemnity insurance that must be adequate for the services being provided.
The new framework document is available in full on GOV.UK.
For pharmacists exploring NHS roles, PharmSee's job search tracks 476 active NHS pharmacy vacancies, with filtering by role type and location.
Sources: Framework agreement between DHSC and NHS Resolution 2026–2029; PharmSee vacancy data (April 2026); NHS Resolution annual reports.