Pharmacy’s representative bodies have been working together more closely to present a unified voice to parliamentarians, and it appears to be paying off with recent announcements such as SCR access and the flu vaccination service representing significant leaps forward for the profession. But the recent love-in seems to have faltered slightly, with PSNC’s criticisms of the Society’s integrated care initiative sounding like a thinly-veiled warning not to tread on the negotiating body’s toes.

Bravery and innovation will undoubtedly be required to take the profession forward and out of its current limbo between medicines supply and service delivery. But now that pharmacy is being discussed at the highest levels and NHS costs are being forensically examined, the wrong piece of blue-sky thinking could suddenly become reality before it had been properly thought through and discussed. PSNC is right to be concerned that the right messages are broadcast, and some of the Society’s proposals are, in its own words, pretty “radical”.

Like abandoning the national contract, for example. There’s no doubt that some progressive pharmacists, like RPS president Ash Soni, consider the national contract something of a straightjacket and would love to negotiate an innovative range of services with their local pharmacy-friendly commissioners instead. But this wouldn’t even be an option for many independent contractors, who consider the contract a reliable source of income that fuels their business and allows risks to be taken with new services and inconsistent sources of funding.

But whether you’re feeling brave and innovative, or a little more wary and cautious, October's Pharmacy Show promises to inspire and educate every type of pharmacist on a wide range of topics. ICP is sponsoring the Local Pharmacy Innovation conference stream, which will showcase some of the most groundbreaking projects from around the country. Enjoy reading the Pharmacy Show guide, distributed with this issue, and you can’t fail to be convinced that you, your patients and your business will benefit from a trip to the NEC on October 18-19.