Community Pharmacy England (CPE) has hired a consulting firm to “strengthen” its negotiations with the government, it told C+D yesterday (July 23).
A spokesperson for CPE said that PA Consulting is “reviewing” the negotiator’s “approach” to funding negotiations, citing the firm’s “extensive experience working across government”.
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In this role, it will “[assess] NHS policy priorities and service opportunities”, as well as training CPE committee members, the spokesperson revealed.
PA Consulting is also working on “an economic project” with CPE that will look at the sector’s “base case funding”, provide a “cost benefit analysis” of the sector’s value and make a “business case for future investment” in community pharmacy, they told C+D.
“Approach and tactics”
In a recent briefing that provided a summary of its June committee meeting, CPE last week (July 19) revealed that “professional consulting firm” PA Consulting was working for the negotiator on several projects.
The briefing highlighted that the independent consulting firm was helping to “enhance” CPE’s “approach and tactics” for negotiations with the government.
That work includes “an economic project aimed at influencing the next government spending review", it said.
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The briefing added that the firm had completed "an assessment of new service opportunities" that will help CPE’s service development subcommittee as it develops its priorities for discussions with the new government.
A spokesperson for PA Consulting said that it was “unable to comment on confidential client work”.
However, the spokesperson emphasised that PA Consulting had “extensive expertise in healthcare and community pharmacy”, having worked “across the sector for many decades”.
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Earlier this month, the pharmacy negotiator said that it would seek “early meetings” with new government ministers but warned that the resumption of negotiations on a new pharmacy funding deal could be “weeks” away.
CPE revealed in June that negotiations had been placed in limbo after the announcement of the general election in May.
