Pharmacy leaders have voiced concerns over Andrew Lansley's exit as health minister, with some questioning the timing of the decision as the NHS reforms take shape.

Yesterday it was announced that Jeremy Hunt, the former Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, had replaced Andrew Lansley as Secretary of State for Health. And while some welcomed the change of leadership, others expressed doubts over Mr Hunt's experience in the health sector at a time of NHS upheaval.

Numark managing director John D'Arcy said it was difficult to know what attitude the new health secretary would take to the NHS reforms, which were spearheaded by Mr Lansley. "The thrust of the reforms was something Mr Lansley had written so whether Mr Hunt will have the same passion and vigour for them is debatable – he will inevitably have a different view," he told C+D. "But I wouldn't have thought there was room for any major change on [the legislation]."

"Now [Mr Lansley]'s been shifted, that doesn't give us great confidence in what's happening in the future" Claire Ward, IPF

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The new appointment was unlikely to make much difference to the pharmacy sector, Mr D'Arcy added. "I don't think in the scheme of things it will make a big difference, other than we're dealing with someone who has limited experience of dealing with pharmacy, so we'll have to fill in the gaps," he forecast. Independent Pharmacy Federation chief executive Claire Ward, a former Labour MP, added weight to the concerns over Mr Hunt's knowledge of pharmacy.

Although she conceded it was "difficult" for pharmacy to make its voice heard under Mr Lansley's rule, she highlighted that he had "some connection with pharmacy" from when he was shadow health secretary.

Ms Ward questioned why Mr Lansley had left after pushing through the NHS reforms, which are due to come into full force in 2013. "My initial reaction is one of surprise that he has spent the past two years taking the NHS, throwing it into small pieces and seeing how it reassembles, with pharmacy not at the core of these changes as we would like it to be," she told C+D. "Now he's been shifted, that doesn't give us great confidence in what's happening in the future."

But Andrew McCoig, LPC secretary for Croydon and Sutton, Merton and Wandsworth, said he would welcome a new direction in the NHS. Mr Lansley had failed to address communication problems in the NHS, Mr McCoig said, resulting in many healthcare professionals working "in silo".

"He lost his way and did too much, too soon – the whole NHS is unmanageable and dysfunctional. He should have stopped reorganising the whole thing and just sorted out the communication," Mr McCoig argued. "There's still a major reliance on partnership working in the health service and this is something Lansley has not addressed."

Who is Jeremy Hunt?

Jeremy Hunt studied politics, philosophy and economics at Oxford University and started his political career in 2005, as MP for South-West Surrey. His website highlights that, in his constituency, Mr Hunt "campaigned actively" on local NHS services and was "closely involved" in the fights to save the Royal Surrey and Milford hospitals.

In 2007, he was appointed as the shadow secretary for culture, media and sport, and took on the role as culture secretary in 2010, in the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government. In 2012, he came under scrutiny at the Leveson inquiry over his handling of Rupert Murdoch's BSkyB takeover bid.

Mr Hunt's voting record on health issues highlights some controversial beliefs. In 2007, he signed an early day motion welcoming the "positive contribution" made by NHS homeopathic hospitals, and expressing concerns over their potential demise due to NHS spending cuts. He also rebelled against his party on the issue of abortion, voting to change the legal abortion limit from 24 weeks to 12 weeks.

What do you think Jeremy Hunt's appointment will mean for community pharmacy and the wider NHS? Comment below or email us at [email protected] You can also find C+D on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook