James Waldron will talk to Anne-Hélène Lebec – former chief executive of 1,300-strong pharmacy network Giphar France, and now a consultant for the sector – in front of an audience at the PharmacyForum conference in June.

The conversation will follow on from C+D’s exclusive revelation last year that UK health secretary Matt Hancock wants to “move towards the French model for pharmacies, where they do more”.

Commenting on the forthcoming event, Mr Waldron said: “The news last October of Mr Hancock’s interest in the French model came as a surprise to the sector.

“Since then, C+D has dug deeper into how French pharmacies operate,” he added. “With 2019 shaping up to be a pivotal year for the long-term direction of the sector, it’s the perfect time to hear first-hand from one of France’s key pharmacy leaders about what the UK can learn from its equivalents across the channel – and vice versa.”

What is the PharmacyForum?

The fifth PharmacyForum event – for which C+D is the exclusive media partner – will see the conference return to the Don Carlos Hotel in Marbella, Spain for June 12-13. Organisers OpenRoom says it will “again collect the industry’s top community pharmacy groups and trusted suppliers for two days of supercharged networking”.

PharmacyForum is an invitation-only event, sponsored by Velresco and Caragon Flex. If you are interested in participating, contact [email protected]