Health secretary Jeremy Hunt held no official meetings with pharmacy representatives in his first six months in office, despite meeting with GPs, C+D can reveal.

Mr Hunt, who this week celebrates one year in the job, met with the Royal College of General Practitioners just two months into his role, information obtained by C+D under the freedom of information (FOI) act revealed. But he failed to meet with any pharmacy bodies in the first six months, the Department of Health told C+D.

Mr Hunt's predecessors Andrew Lansley and Andy Burnham followed a similar pattern in their first six months of the job, holding meetings with the RCGP but no pharmacy bodies, the FOI request showed.

The failure of Jeremy Hunt to meet with pharmacy represenatives in his first six months in the top spot has not surprised sector leaders

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PSNC head of NHS services Alastair Buxton expressed little surprise at the results. Pharmacy bodies were more likely to meet with the pharmacy minister instead, he explained. "I can't think of the last time pharmacy had a meeting with the health secretary, because we tend to focus our efforts on developing our relationships with junior ministers, who are involved on a policy level day to day," he told C+D.

NPA chief executive Mike Holden said he met Mr Lansley informally at two events in his first six months in the position, although he had still not met Mr Hunt.

Mr Holden said Mr Hunt was clearly receiving advice about the pharmacy agenda, but was not sure who was providing the information.

"We can't expect him to say he'll see everybody. One thing we do much better these days as a group of organisations is join our messages up," he told C+D.

Mr Hunt replaced Mr Lansley as health secretary in September 2012, following a previous appointment as Secretary of State for culture, Olympics, media and sport. Since he took up the position, he has overseen the restructuring of the NHS and called for a paperless health service by 2018.

In July, Mr Hunt said he wanted to see the NHS and local authorities encouraging all 40 to 74-year-olds to take up the "potentially life-saving opportunity" of health checks.

At the time of Mr Hunt's appointment, some pharmacy leaders welcomed the change of leadership, while others expressed doubts over his experience in the health sector at a time of NHS upheaval.