The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 273 No 7327 p773
27 November 2004

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Contract 2005 (more)

Community pharmacists vote “yes” to new contract

Community pharmacy contractors in England and Wales have voted to accept the proposed new pharmacy contract, it was announced this week. Altogether, 74 per cent of contractors took part in the ballot and, of these, 92.5 per cent voted in favour.

The ballot was conducted by the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee on the basis of one vote per pharmacy. All contractors were sent voting papers and the ballot closed on 22 November. Contractors were asked to answer “yes” or “no” to the following statement: “I agree with the proposed new pharmacy contractual framework and arrangements for funding.”

In England, 73.8 per cent of pharmacies voted, of which 92.3 per cent voted “yes”. In Wales, 75.4 per cent voted, of which 95.0 per cent voted “yes”.

No breakdown of the result into independent and multiple pharmacies, or by size of pharmacy, is available since the database used for the ballot did not distinguish between contractors in this way.

Barry Andrews, chairman of the PSNC, said: “We are delighted that contractors have demonstrated so clearly their strong desire to develop NHS services. With this result, community pharmacy can truly consolidate its role as an integral part of the NHS primary care family and utilise the skills and knowledge of pharmacists to their full potential.”

Sue Sharpe, PSNC chief executive, added: “Provided that we can reach agreement on the outstanding details with the Department of Health and the NHS Confederation, we are on target for implementation on 1 April 2005.” She explained that the PSNC’s work will now focus on two areas: helping to ensure that contractors can make the transition to the new contract, and building collaboration with primary care trusts and GPs.

Commenting on the announcement, Health Secretary, John Reid, said: “I am delighted that the overwhelming majority of pharmacists support this new contract which marks the beginning of a new era for pharmacy in the community, from which everyone will benefit.” He added: “From April, patients will gain a better, more flexible service from their local pharmacist and a broader range of services. This deal is part of a bigger reform agenda where more health services are provided by a more diverse range of providers, giving greater choice for patients and more convenient access to services.”