Additionally, Community Pharmacy England has outlined its plans to engage with and influence the new government
Community Pharmacy England (CPE) has released a recorded presentation outlining its strategy for improving the future of community pharmacies, now available to watch on-demand.
The presentation highlights key issues facing the sector and details the organisation’s plans to support pharmacy owners and their teams.
The presentation comes at a pivotal time, following the conclusion of the five-year Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) and the recent General Election.
Recognising these moments as critical junctures for the future of the sector, CPE has been actively developing strategies to secure a more sustainable future for community pharmacies.
CPE Chief Executive Janet Morrison, along with her team and Committee Members, conducted a series of in-person roadshows across all regions outside of London in July, informing pharmacy owners and their representatives about their ongoing work to tackle key issues and plans for the future.
The on-demand presentation, originally livestreamed from one of these regional meetings, offers an in-depth overview of these strategies.
It provides detailed insights into community pharmacies' pressures, ongoing CPCF negotiations, Pharmacy First service, and the broader strategy of Community Pharmacy England to improve the outlook for pharmacy owners and their teams.
Additionally, Community Pharmacy England has outlined its plans to engage with and influence the new government. Key initiatives include:
- Collaborating with PA Consulting to enhance their negotiating approach, evaluate NHS policy priorities and service opportunities, and deliver training to the Committee.
- Undertaking an economic project to look at base case funding, cost-benefit analysis of the value delivered, and the business case for future investment in the community pharmacy sector.
- Establishing contact with the majority of MPs and planning for their first Parliamentary event scheduled for the autumn.
- Preparing a submission to Lord Darzi’s review of the state of the NHS, commissioned by the Health Secretary.
- Planning for national media coverage to highlight the sector’s plight and the impact on patients.
- Continuing dialogue with think tanks, patient groups and wider stakeholders to build wider support for community pharmacy.
Further details of CPE’s strategy and workplan for the current year were released in a briefing last week.
The 24 workplan for Community Pharmacy England includes:
- Delivering an improved Contractual Framework to address the current funding crisis and secure a stable future
- Driving the success of the Pharmacy First service, blood pressure and contraception services to demonstrate their value and the potential for a greater role for community pharmacy in clinical services.
- Promoting the role of community pharmacy as a vital part of an integrated primary care system and as hubs for community health.
- Building the investment case for further expansion of clinical services that can be developed into major service interventions.
- Guiding future developments in funding, policy and regulatory policies to enable community pharmacies to deliver services effectively and sustainably and respond to changing Governmental/NHS England priorities.
- Enhancing support for the community pharmacy sector through communications and engagement, working closely with the LPC network and driving standards of governance, accountability and transparency.
The CPE noted that the sector is currently confronting significant challenges, including consolidations, cashflow crises, closures, increasing instability in medicine supply and delivery of margin, a punishing workforce market and rising costs of
leases and cost of capital, energy and other supplies.
"The state of the community pharmacy sector has reached a critical point after years of systematic cuts and worsening economic conditions, coupled with rising demand and rising NHS expectations for delivery and efficiency," CPE writes in its briefing.
The CPE will be organising the final event in the roadshow series on 26 September in London.
CPE also plans to maintain continuous engagement with pharmacy owners throughout the year, using regular polling and participating in various sector conferences, including the Pharmacy Show.
To gain a deeper understanding of CPE's strategic vision for the future, watch the recorded presentation here.
