The two contractors, who should not currently be on an LPC, will join a “national steering committee”, which will oversee an independent review examining “the roles and structures underpinning the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) and the LPCs”, the negotiator announced today (November 29).

David Wright, professor of pharmacy practice at the University of East Anglia – who was responsible for the evidence review behind the Murray report in 2016 – has been appointed to lead the independent review, the results of which are expected to be published by the end of March 2020.

The steering committee will be made up of 10 members – including PSNC chief executive Simon Dukes and deputy chief pharmaceutical officer Bruce Warner or another representative from NHS England – nominated either by employer representatives or LPCs.

In addition, Professor Wright is inviting two independent contractors to send a 50-word “expression of interest” if they would like to join the review.

They are required to attend four meetings, each two hours long, in London between now and April. Along with the rest of the committee members they will be expected to help “ensure ongoing visibility of the review’s progress, and provide a communications conduit for all stakeholders”.

Supporting contractors with funding deal

Commenting on the launch, PSNC’s Mr Dukes said: “The review comes as the community pharmacy sector enters a period of change, under the recently agreed five-year [funding] deal, and its purpose will be to find the most effective ways for PSNC and the LPCs to work together to represent and support contractors through those changes.”

Professor Wright said he has “been given a very short timeframe” to complete the analysis, “but [I] have a team in place who will work hard to ensure that we capture everyone’s voice”.

“I want to find out what is currently done well and how this could be done better, and what is done which may be better done by others. I want to know whether the current organisational structures, financial models and communication processes provide greatest value for money and if they don’t, to explore how we can change them,” he added.

Read more about the review and how to get involved on the dedicated website.