Party political conferences bring together an extraordinary range of voices. Politicians, businesses, charities, campaigners, professional bodies and interest groups all descend on the same place, each determined to make their case to government.
At this year’s Labour Party Conference in Liverpool, the NPA was among them – making sure community pharmacy had a strong voice in the conversations shaping the future of health and care.
But effective advocacy isn’t simply about telling politicians about the pressures facing our sector. Those pressures are significant and we will continue to make the case for a sustainable future for independent community pharmacy.
It is also about demonstrating the solutions pharmacy can provide.
From making the case to offering solutions
Across conference, some of the biggest discussions facing government centred on familiar challenges: pressures on the public finances, the future of health and social care, improving maternity services, tackling health inequalities and delivering more effective healthcare closer to people’s homes.
These are areas where community pharmacy has a compelling contribution to make.
The government’s direction of travel is increasingly towards neighbourhood healthcare, prevention and moving more care out of hospitals and into communities. Its neighbourhood health framework recognises community pharmacies as among the most accessible parts of primary care and sets an ambition for pharmacies to become a first point of contact for more patients.
The expansion of independent prescribing provides another major opportunity. From autumn 2026, NHS-funded independent prescribing is being rolled out nationally in community pharmacy, enabling pharmacists to assess and treat more patients directly while helping to reduce pressure elsewhere in the NHS.
For the NPA, the message in Liverpool was therefore clear: community pharmacy should not simply be seen as another part of the health service asking government for support. It should be seen as part of the solution.
NPA Chair and Chief Executive with Rt Hon Dame Diana Johnson DBE MP, Minister for Public Health and Patient Safety.
Turning conversations into influence
Throughout the conference, NPA representatives met and spoke with MPs, ministers and other political stakeholders, putting forward the case for community pharmacy and highlighting what our members can deliver for patients and communities.
Those conversations matter. Political advocacy is rarely about a single meeting or moment. It is about building relationships, ensuring decision-makers understand our sector, presenting credible solutions and then continuing those conversations long after conference has ended.
That follow-up work is already continuing.
As government develops its plans for neighbourhood health and the future of the NHS, the NPA will continue to ensure that independent community pharmacy is represented at the tables where decisions are made – championing the contribution our members already make and the much greater role they can play in the future.
Because when government asks how it can deliver more accessible, preventative and community-based healthcare, community pharmacy should be central to the answer.
NPA Chair and Chief Executive with Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.
NPA Chair with Alison McGovern MP, Minister for Social Care and Mental Health.
Find out more about the NPA policy work here.
