Community pharmacists must view themselves as part of the NHS and "talk its language" to thrive under the reformed health service.

This was the advice from senior pharmacist and NHS Future Forum representative Ash Soni to fellow contractors at the Avicenna Conference 2012 in Sri Lanka this weekend.

"The NHS is bigger than us so we have to learn its language" Ash Soni, Future Forum

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"You have to stop thinking about working alongside the NHS and instead think about working in the NHS," he told delegates. This would enable access to funding from sources previously untapped by the sector, Mr Soni said. He urged community pharmacists not necessarily to ask for new money but instead to ask themselves: "What can I access that others already have?" He cited local training budgets as an example.

Pharmacists must also "talk wider", considering more carefully the presentation of their messages to NHS colleagues – including commissioners – Mr Soni said. "Pharmacy talks its language and the NHS talks its language – but the NHS is bigger than us so we have to learn its language," he explained.

"We have to teach them ours but the only way they'll learn it is if we understand theirs."

For example, Mr Soni said community pharmacy should talk about the public's health – rather than public health. "Public health is the function, the public's health is the outcome – that's what we're trying to deliver," he said.

He also urged pharmacists to sell their role in terms of medicines optimisation – not medicines management. "Medicines optimisation is about getting the best value from the medicine [patients] take," he said, "so you stop being a cost and start being a value".

Catch up on all the latest news from the Avicenna Conference 2012 with C+D deputy and features editor Jennifer Richardson's conference blog.