The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 273 No 7319 p459
2 October 2004

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BPC 2004 News summary

NPA extends membership to individual pharmacists

All individual pharmacists will be eligible to join a new membership category of the National Pharmaceutical Association, it was revealed this week at the British Pharmaceutical Conference in Manchester.

The new category — called NPA Link — will be open to all pharmacists in January 2005, no matter what their field of practice. The NPA hopes that individuals from the following groups will join:

· Pharmacy managers
· Pharmacists working in community pharmacy
· Local pharmaceutical committee secretaries
· Primary care pharmacists
· Hospital pharmacists
· Consultant pharmacists
· Pharmacists working in industry, pharmacy bodies or publishing
· Locum pharmacists
· Practice pharmacists
· Pharmacists who are members of professional executive committees

Benefits that individual members will receive are access to the services provided by the NPA’s information department and NHS service development department, legal and personnel advice, and the opportunity to make their views known to the NPA board of management via a new forum.

The development is being launched in response to demand from individual pharmacists. John D’Arcy, chief executive of the NPA, stressed: “We are, and will continue to be, an owners’ association. However, we have to look at the changing face of pharmacy and its impact on our sector.” He added: “There has been huge change in community pharmacy and for us not to consider that in our strategic planning would be an oversight.”

One thing that the new category will not offer individual pharmacists is representation. “That is because we cannot be all things for all men. We will continue to represent pharmacy owners,” said Mr D’Arcy.

In the past, individual pharmacists could access NPA information by becoming a publications subscriber and this option will be superseded by NPA Link. Mr D’Arcy added that the intention to set up the category was outlined in the NPA’s strategic plan in 2001. It states that the NPA will seek to build a membership base that is truly representative of the community pharmacy sector as a whole.

NPA Link membership will cost £50 for pharmacists who are employed in community pharmacy by an NPA member, £80 for pharmacists who work in other areas of pharmacy practice and £400 for pharmacists who work in community pharmacy for non-NPA members. This compares with £325 (plus VAT) for commercial membership and £299 for indemnity cover.

The NPA expects that between 500 and 1,000 pharmacists will decide to take up individual membership.