Local Pharmaceutical Committees rebrands as Community Pharmacy Locals

The Local Pharmaceutical Committees (LPCs) has rebranded to be known as Community Pharmacy to present a strengthened and unified identity to the local NHS, local government and other stakeholders, as the local voice of community pharmacy.

“There are now 58 LPCs in England. The number of LPCs has reduced from 69, with further consolidation expected by April 2024 to a network of 48 local organisations,” said Community Pharmacy England.

“The changes mean there will be better alignment between LPCs and the 42 NHS Integrated Care Systems in England, who have taken on the responsibility for commissioning pharmaceutical services delegated by NHS England.”

“This marks a significant milestone, as similar to Community Pharmacy England, LPCs have been undergoing changes to respond to the Review Steering Group (RSG) recommendations on pharmacy representation. The sector voted in favour of the RSG proposals in the summer of 2022, and since then progress has been made on many of the changes at both local and national level as part of the Transforming Pharmacy Representation (TAPR) Programme.”

To support the rebranding, Community Pharmacy England has developed a sibling brand identity for each Community Pharmacy Local to use freely, or they may choose to adopt their own. The sibling brand was developed with the help of a Task and Finish Group of LPC Chief Officers and Chairs which oversaw and fed into the design process.

James Wood, Director of Member and LPC Support at Community Pharmacy England, said: “The move to Community Pharmacy is a great opportunity to build awareness, deepen engagement, and embrace consistency across England. We hope that the shared branding will play a valuable role in helping us to promote a ‘joined up’ image to the outside world, and serves as a visual reminder of the interdependencies between the local and national level.

“We have been working for some time to collaborate more closely with LPCs and strongly believe that we can be more powerful as a sector if we work together to champion community pharmacies. Further work on strengthening the bond between us is planned in 2023/24.”