Mukesh Lad talks to NPA chairman Ian Strachan about the way forward for independents

As a committed and active independent pharmacist that still spends a great deal of time at the coalface, I’ve been following recent developments in pharmacy leadership with great interest.

The evolution of Pharmacy Voice and the refocus by the National Pharmacy Association on the needs of independent pharmacists has culminated in our NPA joining forces with the Independent Pharmacy Federation to strengthen support and leadership for our independent sector.

This month your Coalface Contractor is bringing you greater insight into the thinking behind this move. I recently interviewed Ian Strachan and he started by telling me how the IPF has done a remarkable job with limited resources. And independents need be in no doubt that the full weight of the NPA, with its new potential for a stronger membership base, is being deployed to help us to thrive.

The supply role cannot and must not be sacrificed

Without doubt, collaboration between the two organisations offers the opportunity to maximise the expertise, relationships and networks they’ve both built up over recent years. The intention is to embed the legacy of the IPF within the NPA, which will continue to pursue a member-focused agenda as the representative voice of independent community pharmacy across the UK.

A commitment to core values

The NPA chairman told me he’s firmly committed to core values. He believes all pharmacy organisations have a collective responsibility to promote our supply function.

We need to assist stakeholders in understanding the pivotal role of this function on the local dynamics of healthcare provision. We cannot allow anyone to underestimate its importance to our long- term sustainability, as well as the viability of the entire pharmacy network in Great Britain.

Mr Strachan wants to see new services being commissioned in a way that allows integration with our existing raison d’être. The supply role cannot and must not be sacrificed as healthcare evolves and new demands are placed on pharmacy. Of course, there is also a pressing need to overcome those inherent barriers created by the way we currently structure and organise our community pharmacies.

It’s interesting that we both felt the need to discuss how pharmacy seems to have lost its way. We both recognise the indicators of so many disparate internal challenges to our profession.

National contractors are battling with regional commissioners, employees entering into dispute with employers, in what seems to be a real polarisation of our profession. What we urgently want to see is a common sense of purpose for all pharmacy contractors.

On federated groups

This interview gave me a golden opportunity to talk about federated pharmacy groups as provider organisations. Mr Strachan believes in those positive examples where an LPC works to provide contractors with back office support or leadership in proposing good community services and professional engagement. However, he also acknowledges that forming a limited company or community interest company is an extremely difficult proposition when trying to reconcile the interests of all contractors within a particular LPC jurisdiction.

It’s personally encouraging for me to hear that the NPA may favour the creation of federated models at local level with support from organisations such as the NPA or PSNC to assist in the co-ordination and support of business initiatives. Models such as the Local Optical Committee Support Unit, which were created some years ago by our fellow professionals in the field of optical care, could perhaps be created for pharmacy. I’m hopeful that the NPA will be reviewing the options already operating in the broader healthcare professions, with the aim of identifying a suitable and more secure way forward for community pharmacy.

The NPA’s role

Mr Strachan firmly believes the NPA’s role is to provide national leadership and coordination, while supporting contractors and their respective organisations on a local basis. His key priorities include local engagement and understanding members’ needs in order to develop new programmes for all our benefit.

He was keen to point out the recent statement from Fin McCaul, chairman and founder member of the IPF, in which he confirmed that the IPF’s ambition has always been about getting a better deal for independents and providing them with support to build business.

From my point of view, once the NPA restricted its membership to independents only, it was only a matter of time before these two important pharmacy organisations identified a way to move forward working closely. I’m hopeful that independent pharmacists can now look forward to greater sharing of ideas as well as pooling of strengths and resources.

In a move that seems to me a sensible coalition of similar constituencies we may be able to benefit from smarter working practices, less duplication, and the creation of effective synergy and solutions for the benefit of independent community pharmacy.