Community Pharmacy England: Composition Update
Community Pharmacy England has agreed to make changes to its composition in order to better reflect the make-up of the community pharmacy sector.
The changes are part of ongoing work on governance at Community Pharmacy England, and follow independent expert recommendations to increase the number of 10+ multiple members of the Committee and give the Independent Pharmacies Association (IPA) appointment rights to Community Pharmacy England.
The decision comes after a constructive meeting between Community Pharmacy England and the sector bodies – the Company Chemists’ Association (CCA), IPA, and National Pharmacy Association (NPA) – over the summer, at which an interim agreement about composition was reached. The interim arrangements will be in place until Community Pharmacy England elections in April 2027.
Under the new interim arrangements, which will come into effect from 1st November, the IPA will nominate two 10-plus multiple representatives to Community Pharmacy England. This is in addition to the existing three members of the Committee in the non-CCA multiples category. An additional independent representative will be co-opted to the Committee, and the CCA representatives will be reduced by one.
The decision marks a constructive step forwards in collaboration across the sector. This gives the IPA appointment rights to Community Pharmacy England for the first time.
The decision was made as part of Community Pharmacy England’s September meeting. This was the first meeting to be chaired by new chair Dame Jenny Harries.
The Committee spent time at this meeting preparing for the critical upcoming CPCF negotiations. This included reviewing all of the feedback received from the sector via summer events, polling, and directly from the three sector bodies – CCA, IPA and NPA. They also heard directly from PA Consulting who have been continuing with economic work on community pharmacy funding.
