Exhibition Stands News
NPA meets regarding new NHS cooperation panel
09 Feb 2009
The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) met with the new NHS Cooperation and Competition Panel (CCP) to discuss issues of concern to community pharmacists across the country.
John Turk, chief executive of the NPA, noted that pharmacists often say they "compete on an unlevel playing field" when they are developing primary care services.
He suggested they are "entirely justified" to do so as locally-commissioned services are, in too many cases, reserved for non-pharmacy providers, which he described as a situation sometimes made worse by narrowly-focused practice-based commissioning.
"The fact that the panel agreed to meet us during their first week of operation shows that they are prepared to take pharmacy seriously. Time will tell whether the influence of the panel will help to even things up," he added.
In recent days, the NPA issued its response to the Cardio and Vascular Coalition green paper on the cardio and vascular health strategy, suggesting pharmacy-based services ought to be fully integrated into primary care.
