The discussions will set the future direction for community pharmacy as it plays a vital role in supporting delivery of the reforms set out in the government's Plan for Change. The government has previously outlined its ambition to make better use of pharmacists' skills and training to deliver more services for patients within their local communities.

Minister of state for care, Stephen Kinnock, said: ‘We have inherited a sector that is suffering from years of underfunding and neglect, but we recognise the hard work pharmacists undertake every day to deliver for patients.

‘I am committed to working closely with Community Pharmacy England to agree a package of funding that is reflective of the important support that they provide to patients up and down the country. I am confident that together we can get the sector back on its feet and fit for pharmacies and patients long into the future.'

Janet Morrison, chief executive of Community Pharmacy England, said: ‘Everyone in community pharmacy shares the government's ambition for a vibrant community pharmacy sector, playing a vital role in delivering long term health plans, but this can only be achieved if the sector is put on a sustainable financial footing.'

Amanda Doyle, national director for Primary Care for NHS England, added: 'The NHS knows just how important pharmacies are to local communities - they offer people convenient care close to home which is a key ambition of the 10 Year Health Plan.

'We recognise that pharmacies are under pressure, and we are committed to working with the sector and government to ensure that patients can continue to receive high-quality care building on the exceptional work of teams over the past few years to develop and expand new services for patients.'

In response, Nick Kaye, chair of the National Pharmacy Association, said the situation is ‘critical for patients and the public', so any deal must make significant progress towards ‘filling the yawning funding gap' that pharmacies face and must open a clear route to reform and a sustainable future.

He added: ‘The alternative is continued closures, deteriorating health services for the communities we serve and an environment that leaves little scope to make the shift towards community care that we and the Government believe is so badly needed.

‘We remain clear that if an offer were not to meet the tests set out by us earlier this month, we would be left with little choice but to recommend members reduce services in the interests of protecting patient safety and access to medicines.'