Paul Rees steps down as NPA chief executive

NPA plans to appoint its next chief executive early in the New Year  

Paul Rees MBE, chief executive of the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), has announced his resignation to take on a new role as interim chief executive and registrar of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) in the new year.

He will join the NMC on a one-year contract starting January 20, where he will oversee the development of a multi-year programme aimed at transforming the NMC's culture and performance.

This follows an independent culture review conducted by Nazir Afzal OBE, which highlighted issues of racism, discrimination, and bullying within the organisation.

The NPA is engaging a leading recruitment agency to find its next chief executive, with plans to make an appointment early in the New Year.

NPA chair Nick Kaye praised Paul’s contributions over the last year, stating: “I’m enormously grateful to Paul and the brilliant NPA team who are doing so much to raise the profile of community pharmacy, campaign for a better deal and improve our outstanding support to members.

“Our board and senior team are pressing ahead with our very successful campaigning and our work to transform the support and services we give to pharmacies across the country.

“The NPA is stronger than ever and everything the team does is there to support our members and their teams, who work tirelessly to support their communities. We’re excited about how we can build even better support and advocacy for our members in the months to come.”

Paul expressed gratitude for his time at the NPA, saying:  “I’ve totally loved my time working with the brilliant staff and board teams at the National Pharmacy Association.

“Working as a team, we’ve completely modernised the NPA and turned it into a high-profile campaigning organisation fighting for a fair deal for community pharmacy – while continuing to deliver a range of great services for independent community pharmacies.

“Now the foundations of the new, modernised NPA are firmly in place, I know the organisation will continue to grow and thrive.

“The fact that the NPA is now well set on its new course was highlighted by the way our brilliant board team – led by our chair Nick Kaye – was out in force being the voice of community pharmacy on national TV and radio, as well in the national press last week, to highlight the results of our ballot on reducing services.

“The NPA has a very bright future – as the voice of community pharmacy, delivering excellent learning and development, brilliant pharmacy advice and support, and gold standard pharmacy insurance.”

Paul described his decision to leave the NPA as difficult but expressed excitement about helping the NMC develop a positive and inclusive culture

He said: “It will be a real wrench to leave and it’s been a decision I’ve had to wrestle with.  I have been deeply affected by working with the NPA – community pharmacy will always have a special place in my heart, even as I move into another part of the healthcare sector.”

“Despite loving the NPA, the pull of helping the NMC to eliminate racism and bullying from within the organisation, embed a positive and inclusive culture, and improve the quality of patient care through the regulation of, and support for, the UK’s 826,000 nurses, midwives and nursing associates, is just too great.”

He also emphasised the urgency to address the findings of the culture review.

“Ensuring the NMC can respond to the shocking findings of the culture review published in the summer by Nazir Afzal and Rise Associates – which highlighted the challenges at the organisation – is an urgent matter for patients, nursing and midwifery professionals, the staff of the NMC, and the nation at large.

“It is because of the scale of the challenge and the need to move with urgency and at pace, that the NMC has asked me to join the team in mid-January.”

Since joining the NPA in November 2023, Paul has worked with board members and staff to energise the organisation and elevate its impact.

Key achievements include:

• Driving the high-profile Save Our Pharmacies campaign, which has achieved continuous national media coverage to highlight the chronic underfunding and closure of pharmacies
• Leading the first ever two days of national protest across the community pharmacy sector on 20 June and 19 September
• Leading the roll out of the Save Our Pharmacies petition, which has amassed more than 350,000 signatures and was presented to Number 10 Downing Street on 19 September
• Introducing new face-to-face events for members in England, including Meet the NPA events and masterclasses, to help members transform the way they run their pharmacies
• Rolling out a values-led approach based on the values of professionalism, authenticity, collaboration, innovation, excellence and respect
• Increasing membership by 3.5% in organisations to 3,179 entities, and 2.4% in branches to 6,056 contracts.