NPA full membership provides community pharmacists with access to an extensive and comprehensive range of information, advice and support in both professional and commercial activities. We offer one of the most comprehensive information services available to community pharmacy.
Main membership benefits
Pharmacy Support advice from the NPA
Phone or email the NPA's pharmacy services or search online using our information database. Our experienced team will investigate your questions, saving you time, and with over 80,000 references you can be sure we can deliver the answer fast. Please read our fair use policy to understand how we aim to maintain our high standards.
NPA information aims to answer your call within 15 seconds and our success rate is 97%.
The team is available to answer your calls:
9am - 6pm Monday to Friday
9am - 1pm on Saturdays
Types of enquiries:
- Drug Tariff, the NHS and pharmacy law & ethics
- Employment law including health & safety
- Foreign drug equivalents
- How to set-up and manage new services
- Legal matters
- NHS contractual obligations
- Sources of equipment, goods and services
Financial advice and business services
As an NPA member you have exclusive access to a range of advice and business services, including:
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Publications & Resources
Information leaflets, business briefs and a range of resource packs all in one place which can be downloaded for your convenience.
NPA Publications:
Example of resources available:
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Human Resources and Employment Law
Keeping up to date with employment law and personnel matters can often be difficult and time-consuming but the NPA is here to help you.
Working in partnership with Ellis Whittam, the NPA is pleased to offer you three valuable benefits of membership:
- Employment advisory service: the NPA's dedicated team at Ellis Whittam provide advice ranging from Employment Law to Health & Safety.
- HR/Employment resources: free template documents including contracts of employment, job descriptions and staff handbooks.
- Employment Tribunals: access to the NPA legal advisors if you receive papers in connection with a tribunal. Contact our team on 01727 832161.
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Developing yourself and your staff
NPA members rely heavily on the professionalism of their staff and recognise that a well trained and motivated team is essential for their businesses.
The NPA is an accredited provider of pharmacy training, including providing support for pharmacists at the early stages of their career or when returning to practice after a break.
A range of courses is available to:
For preregistration trainees the NPA also offers a free placement service.
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Protection
Professional Indemnity
Defending you, your business and your reputation when things don't go to plan has always been at the heart of everything we do.
NPA Insurance provides both professional indemnity and general insurance products. Full membership of the NPA includes professional indemnity cover and Public Liability from NPA Insurance - and this also provides protection for pharmacists who are working for an NPA member. NPA Insurance professional indemnity is also available to individuals who wish to have their own indemnity cover.
NPA Insurance's mission is to help its members prosper professionally and commercially, and NPA Insurance's Professional Indemnity provides cover to pharmacist for extended pharmacy services such as phlebotomy and warfarin monitoring. Our indemnity limit is £10 million and this extends not only to the proprietor of the pharmacy but covers any person who is employed or engaged by the proprietor in the course of running the community pharmacy business.
The NPA has also made professional indemnity cover available to pharmacists in Ireland.
Professional Indemnity:
General Insurance products:
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Regional events
The programme of regional meetings are focussed on providing business and practice advice and support, as well as giving an opportunity for dialogue between the NPA and our members on a range of issues.
Visit our events calendar to find out what is going on in your area.
News feeds and email alerts
Sign up to our email alerts to keep up to date with latest issues, government policies, development opportunities, events being held or latest promotions and member benefits available to you.
The NPA also offers RSS feeds, which is a web content feed to keep you informed of changes to content on our website.
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Representing your interests
We strive to shape your professional, regulatory and business environment to transform it from one of 'difficult conditions' into one with greater 'conditions for prosperity'.
We do this by influencing Government and other decision makers, developing productive relationships with stakeholders and promoting community pharmacy to the NHS and to the public.
This is underpinned by a constant dialogue with you our members through forums, member events and surveys.
Examples of work we undertake:
- NHS personnel: the NPA newsletter Pharmacy Flyer, updates service commissioners and other NHS personnel on the potential of community pharmacy to provide solutions in delivering healthcare.
- Government departments: we respond to a wide range of consultation documents, give evidence to the Health Select Committee or other Government panels and we are in regular contact and discussion with key civil servants.
- Patients and the public: The Ask Your Pharmacist (AYP) website and public awareness campaigns continue to raise awareness of the availability and benefits of pharmacy services.
- White paper in England: Our aim is to help ensure that the NHS commissioning/contracting environment is conducive to the profitable, sustainable expansion of community pharmacy services.
Find out more about how we represent community pharmacy.
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Cost effective products and resources for your pharmacy
NPA Sales is a one-stop shop that provides business-to-business products and services to members to help them run their businesses cost-effectively.
Working closely with selected manufacturers and suppliers, NPA sales is able to pass on to members the benefits of bulk buying.
Webshop purchase online when it is convenient for you. Members have told us that they add to their list of products over a period and finalise bulk orders at the end of the week or month. This also saves on carriage charges.
The product range includes;
- specialist stationery items
- dispensary equipment
- pharmacy display
- drug storage & waste management
- patient services
- retail display
- health & safety
