Private healthcare companies are poised to take a "large slice of the commissioning pie" in community health services, the Independent Pharmacy Federation (IPF) has warned.

The lobbying group said Virgin, UnitedHealth and Capita had all made moves to compete for NHS business since the reforms had been passed. While Virgin had reportedly secured community health services in some parts of the country already, the IPF claimed UnitedHealth and Capita had sponsored a commissioning conference reception for GPs on Tuesday (April 24).

The comments came after leading commissioner Howard Stoate, chair of Bexley clinical cabinet, warned that pharmacies would need to "up their game" or see their services poached by private companies.

"The patients are being seen as a commodity in the pursuit of profit" Claire Ward, IPF

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"You've got to come to CCGs with solutions, not problems, because we've got enough problems of our own," Dr Stoate told the PSNC conference on April 25. "If you don't come up with solutions, you will miss that boat and Virgin and UnitedHealth will come up with them instead." But IPF chief executive Claire Ward urged commissioners to consider the "personal" value of pharmacy services. "The implications of the Health and Social Care Act are now becoming clearer and big business is already trying to take a massive share of NHS business," she said. "The patients are being seen as a commodity in the pursuit of profit."

"We think it is important that the value of independent pharmacists providing a personal service to patients is not forgotten in the midst of the stampede from corporate healthcare companies," Ms Ward argued.

The IPF advised contractors to contact their local GPs and commissioners "to promote the value of independent community pharmacy" in providing health services. The group had come out in opposition to the NHS reforms in November, expressing a "key concern" that new commissioning groups and local authorities would not understand what pharmacy could offer.

UnitedHealth confirmed it had sponsored a reception on April 24, while Capita told C+D it had held a conference on that date but could not give details of the reception.