PSNC launches first consultation within pharmacy vision project

The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) has invited pharmacy contractors, LPCs and others in the sector to share their views on an open consultation on the “future of community pharmacy”.

“The consultation – which takes the form of an online survey – is the first opportunity within PSNC’s vision project for individuals and organisations to share their thoughts with Nuffield Trust and The King’s Fund,” said PSNC.

The survey is happening in addition to an extensive programme of research, interviews and initial meetings of the vision Steering Group, Advisory Panel, and Working Groups, all of which have contractors, LPCs and other representatives of the sector at their heart.

The online survey, asks five questions on topics such as Future policy goals; Why previous reviews and policies may not have fully achieved their objectives; Design principles that should underpin the service offer made by community pharmacy; and Blocks and enablers for change.

The deadline for responses is 11.59pm on Friday 9th December 2022.

PSNC will be hosting some online engagement events early in 2023. These will allow any contractors who would prefer not to submit a written consultation response to input into this stage of the vision work.

The responses to the survey, and a summary of the engagement events, will be shared with Nuffield Trust and The King’s Fund – in anonymised form – to help inform their thinking as they develop the new vision and strategic options for community pharmacy.

This work has been commissioned by PSNC to help underpin the future strategy for the sector and to lay the ground for the next Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) negotiations which will be critical for the future of all community pharmacies.

The open consultation is the first opportunity for the sector to input into the work – a further consultation will take place in spring 2023 to test the initial report from Nuffield Trust and The King’s Fund.

The initial consultation was launch yesterday (09 November) and will run until 11.59pm on Friday 9th December 2022.

Commenting on the launch of the consultation, Janet Morrison, PSNC Chief Executive, said: “As community pharmacies continue to face insurmountable financial and other pressures, the development of a new vision and strategic options is critical; this is a first step towards getting the sector onto a more sustainable path. By commissioning Nuffield Trust and The King’s Fund to do this work PSNC wants to increase the credibility of our shared vision, develop a more effective strategy, and have more chance of shaking up Government and NHS thinking about community pharmacy.

“But while Nuffield Trust and The King’s Fund bring unrivalled health policy expertise, they also need to hear from the experts in community pharmacy, and that means you. We have ensured this will happen by putting contractors, LPCs and other sector representatives at the heart of the project – including on the Steering Group, Advisory Panel and Working Groups – but we also want to hear from anyone with ideas, thoughts or a vision for the future.”

“This consultation is the first chance to do that and to hear from you about what would – and wouldn’t – work in community pharmacies of the future, and what needs to change to make it happen.

“We are really looking forward to hearing from you either through our online survey or at one of our engagement events. If you are a contractor, you may also have the option to feed in views via your LPC or trade association. The views we gather now will help the vision project team to understand why previous policies have been slow to progress and how to build a new vision that will stick. This vision will be critical to the future, and we look forward to working with you on it.”