England has moved the Single National Formulary into implementation, setting a phased timetable for replacing differing local formulary categories with a national digital source of prescribing guidance. The programme is intended to reduce variation in how medicines are positioned locally after national assessment.
NHS England reports finding at least 51 formulary categories in use across England. Half of the 26 integrated care boards (ICBs), including those working in clusters, will move to a standardised categorisation system by December 2026. The remaining ICBs are expected to follow by July 2027.
The first Single National Formulary digital product is planned for July 2027 and will cover eight to 12 therapeutic areas. A national formulary committee will provide clinical oversight and work with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to translate national evidence into prescribing recommendations. Further therapeutic areas will be added progressively through to mid-2030.
The programme addresses variation that can persist after NICE recommends a medicine. Local formulary positioning, treatment sequencing and service arrangements can affect how quickly a nationally recommended treatment reaches routine use. A common national framework should reduce duplication and make prescribing recommendations more consistent across England.
The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has supported greater standardisation, while arguing that the SNF should remain aligned with NICE guidance, preserve clinical choice and avoid weakening the existing funding mandate for NICE-recommended medicines.
NHS England also links implementation with the UK–US pharmaceutical arrangement, under which UK spending on new medicines is due to rise from 0.3% of gross domestic product in 2026 to 0.6% by 2036. The effectiveness of the SNF will therefore depend on whether national standardisation accelerates adoption without creating an additional decision layer between NICE recommendation and local prescribing.
Source: NHS England
Link: NHS England: Fairer, faster access to medicines for NHS patients – delivering the Single National Formulary
Date: 9 July 2026
