PSNC to rebrand as Community Pharmacy England in April 2023
The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) will rebrand itself as Community Pharmacy England from April next year, in line with the Review Steering Group’s (RSG) proposals to overhaul pharmacy representation in England.
One of the RSG’s key recommendations involved rebranding PSNC as Community Pharmacy England, as well as rebranding local pharmaceutical committees (LPCs) to be known as Community Pharmacy <local>.
PSNC will launch its new branch in April 2023, according to an update it issued about the Transforming Pharmacy Representation (TAPR) Programme last week (November 11).
TAPR aims to meet the 37 proposals set out by the RSG in April on how PSNC and LPCs should best respond to the recommendations outlined in the Wright Review.
This was an independent report that advocated a dramatic overhaul of community pharmacy contractor representation in 2020.
21 of RSG’s recommendations – which contractors voted to push through in June – relate to PSNC, 10 relate to PSNC and LPCs jointly and six to LPCs alone, PSNC wrote.
Read more: Contractors vote to push through pharmacy representation overhaul
Rebrand an opportunity to ‘refresh’ PSNC
PSNC aims to use its rebranding as an “opportunity to refresh and define what ‘Community Pharmacy England’ is, what it stands for, and how it talks and comes across in the outside world,” it wrote.
“It is the ideal time to make sure that our new brand is not just a new name but supports us in our work on behalf of community pharmacy,” the negotiator added.
PSNC has begun developing a plan an “engagement plan” for its rebrand along with “external experts in branding” this month, it wrote.
It will also develop a partner brand for ‘Community Pharmacy ’ for LPCs that would like to use it.
“We will work closely with LPCs under the guidance of our external experts to produce something we are all proud of and want to use,” the negotiation said.
PSNC will build its rebrand resources and test them with LPCs between January and March 2023, before launching the new brand in April.
It will also support any LPCs wishing to use the new brand for “Community Pharmacy <local>” from April 2023, it wrote.
PSNC has launched an influencing strategy and began targeting MPs last month, it wrote. It has launched its new influencing workplan and will host a Parliamentary engagement event on November 15.
The RSG proposals also suggested that PSNC funding will increase by £1.5 million a year, over the next two and a half years.
The negotiator will undertake a business planning in 2023/24 to ensure “any additional spending has clear justifications”, it wrote.
