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The makeup of the committee that negotiates with the government on behalf of Community Pharmacy England (CPE) is to be changed in advance of negotiations on the next pharmacy contract, CPE has announced.
On 26 September 2025, CPE said that the number of voting representatives on the committee will be increased from 24 to 26 representatives, while the number of Company Chemists’ Association (CCA) nominated representatives will be reduced by 1.
The committee also has a non-executive chair, who only votes in the case of a tie.
The new-look committee will include: 10 of the 26 seats held by elected regional representatives; 8 seats held by CCA-nominated representatives; 5 seats held by pharmacy owners of multiples with more than 10 branches; and the remaining 3 seats held by independent pharmacy owners, with 2 of those nominated by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA).
In addition, 2 of the 10-plus multiple representatives will be nominated by the Independent Pharmacies Association (IPA).
Currently, 10 of 24 CPE committee seats are held by elected regional members; 9 seats are held by members appointed by the CCA; 3 seats are held by non-CCA multiples with more than 10 branches; and 2 seats are held by representatives appointed by the NPA.
There are also two non-voting “observer” members, who represent the ten-plus multiples category.
CPE added that it was reshaping its negotiating committee in order to better reflect the composition of the community pharmacy sector.
The change follows a “constructive” meeting held over the summer with the CCA, the NPA and the IPA, it said.
Leyla Hannbeck, chief executive of the IPA, said: “It has been a long fight for us and whilst we are pleased that one part of our concerns have been addressed, there is still some way to go to ensure fair representation for independent/family owned pharmacies on the CPE and reduce the overrepresentation of the CCA on CPE committee.”
A spokesperson for the CCA commented: “We hope that the new interim arrangements will now enable CPE to focus on securing the best possible agreement for the 2026/2027 contractual framework. The community pharmacy network remains underfunded and securing sufficient additional funding must be made the absolute priority for CPE.”
Olivier Picard, chair of the NPA, said: “It’s important that all parts of our fast-changing sector are represented accurately, so we’re pleased CPE will revisit representation when elections are due in 2027.
“It’s more apparent than ever that we need a united voice to make progress with the decision-makers in government who set our funding.
“The most important thing we can all do now is to get on with the work of influencing ministers and the public who elect them at this pivotal time for community pharmacy and the wider health service.”
The changes to the negotiating committee are described as interim and will run until the CPE elections, which will be held in April 2027.
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