Long-running dispute between PSNC and North East London LPC draws towards closure
Steps are being taken to draw a line under the dispute between the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee and North East London Local Pharmaceutical Committee.
Following a conciliation meeting within the past month, both sides have
expressed satisfaction with the progress that was made.
NEL LPC chairman Gary Boorman said that the meeting was beneficial. “We
were extremely disappointed that we couldn’t finalise [a settlement],
but we continue actively to work towards this direction.”
At last week’s local pharmaceutical committees’ conference,
PSNC chairman Barry Andrews said: “Significant progress was made,
but we were not able to agree on final details.”
NEL LPC and the PSNC fell out over the handling by the PSNC of resolutions
passed at the 2001 LPC conference. NEL LPC stopped paying its constituent
contractors’ PSNC levy in April 2002. PSNC services to NEL pharmacy
contractors ceased in December 2003.
The matter came to a head last year when North East London Strategic
Health Authority commissioned an investigation after receiving a complaint
from 87 pharmacies that the LPC was not complying with certain financial
requirements of its constitution (PJ, 24 September 2005, p364 PDF (70K)). |
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