PSNC has remained tight-lipped on whether it will seek to renegotiate the pharmacy contract, responding today to independent buying groups' calls for an urgent review.

The negotiator said it would "ensure the views of the independent pharmacy sector are fully reflected" in negotiations but did not specify whether it believes the contract needs to be reviewed, in response to a letter sent on October 8 by five independent buying groups.

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	The letter from Avicenna, Cambrian Alliance, CAMRx, Numark and Pharma Plus highlighted contractors' "complete lack of confidence" in the contract and the "paucity of information filtering through to members about the background to negotiations".

"You ask whether we think the time is right for a review of the contract, and how to improve transparency," PSNC responded. "Our aspirations for the future are set out in our plans; you can find these on our website."

The progress of discussions was "confidential, and the Department of Health (DH), like other negotiators here and in other countries would not negotiate in public", said PSNC's response, signed by three independent contractor representatives of PSNC as well as chief executive Sue Sharpe.

But it said it recognised the need to "improve our communication with contractors" and said the views of the independent pharmacy sector were "fully reflected" in PSNC negotiations with the DH. It also invited the groups to a meeting next month to discuss their views and proposals.

Cambrian Alliance chief executive Paul Davies told C+D his group had received "hundreds of complaints" from members following interim 2012-13 funding arrangements announced last month.

"The main concerns as expressed in the joint letter and raised by many of our members concentrated on the following: future viability of the existing contract, [and] greater transparency and accountability to contractors from PSNC negotiating committee," Mr Davies said.

Read the letter from the five buying groups in full here and PSNC's response here.