The Independent Pharmacy Federation and National Pharmacy Association will be joining forces. The IPF will be ‘embedded’ within the NPA in an effort to ‘strengthen support and leadership for the independent pharmacy sector,’ it was announced last month.

NPA chairman, Ian Strachan, commented: ‘We have enjoyed a close relationship with the IPF since our joint launch of the Manifesto for Independent Community Pharmacy in 2013. It seems a natural development for the IPF to have taken the decision to entrust its legacy to the NPA.’

The NPA added that it hoped by pooling resources, it would further increase engagement with members and that IPF chairman Fin McCaul would play a ‘substantial role’ in this respect. He commented on the move: ‘As we join together, I will be working with the NPA to find new ways of reaching out to members, building on the success of our engagement events such as conferences and webinars.’