With Andy Burnham now as Prime Minister, much of the political discussion is centring on devolving more power away from Westminster and into local communities.
If that agenda gathers pace, it has the potential to reshape how healthcare is planned and delivered across England.
That is particularly relevant when viewed alongside the NHS 10-year plan, which sets out a clear ambition to move more care out of hospitals, place greater emphasis on prevention and deliver more healthcare in local communities.
For those working in pharmacy, none of that will sound unfamiliar – it reflects the direction the profession has been advocating for many years.
Political change inevitably creates uncertainty. A new PM will likely mean a new Health Secretary, meaning fresh priorities and another period of adjustment for a sector that has only recently welcomed a new Pharmacy Minister.
Every change in leadership risks slowing progress while relationships are rebuilt and new ministers get to grips with the issues.
But, while this presents an obvious risk to the sector, could there also be opportunity?
If more decisions are made locally, could this finally allow pharmacy to show what it is truly capable of delivering?
For years, the profession has made the case for a greater role in preventing illness, managing long-term conditions and supporting patients closer to home.
It has consistently argued that many more routine consultations could be delivered safely, effectively and more conveniently through local pharmacies.
Now the direction of travel appears to be catching up with those ambitions – and this time it sounds like it’s coming from the very top.
Rather than describing what pharmacy could achieve, this is our moment to start proving it.
Local areas could become places where pharmacy tests new models of care, bringing together clinical services, prevention and closer integration with primary care.
If they can show better outcomes for patients and relieve pressure on the wider NHS, they will strengthen the case for greater investment across the sector.
Strong evidence is often the catalyst for policy change.
If local innovation can demonstrate tangible benefits, it becomes easier to build the case for national reform.
That does not mean every part of the country should develop its own version of pharmacy, far from it.
Patients deserve the same high standards wherever they live, and contractors need consistency around clinical governance, service specifications and funding arrangements.
National standards must remain the foundation. Flexibility should come in how local systems choose to build upon them.
There is another reason why this moment feels important.
While dispensing has evolved through technology and automation, the physical model of many pharmacies has changed remarkably little. The role of the pharmacist has expanded significantly, yet many pharmacies still look much the same as they did years ago.
Perhaps this is the moment to change that.
Not through more discussion, but by creating local examples of what modern pharmacy can deliver and the contribution it can make to neighbourhood healthcare.
None of this removes the financial pressures facing the sector.
Additional investment will still be needed if pharmacy is to deliver everything that is being asked of it. That remains as true today as it did before the latest contract settlement.
But investment is always easier to justify when people can see exactly what it will achieve.
That is why this moment matters.
If devolution gathers momentum and the NHS continues its shift towards prevention and care delivered closer to home, pharmacy has a genuine chance to shape that future rather than simply respond to it.
The profession has spent years explaining what it could do. Hopefully, now it will have the chance to show it.
If we get that right, we will not simply strengthen the argument for greater investment. We will strengthen the case for pharmacy playing a much bigger role in the future NHS.
(Jeremy Meader is chief wholesale officer, Bestway Healthcare)
