Each year at CPC we take the time to engage with current and new members. This year was no different and Guild Council members on the stand were delighted to see significant engagement throughout the event.

Issues raised

There was fantastic support for our national campaign for a minimum of 10% of contracted hours be protected for Supporting Professional Activities. We were impressed that many members had already taken these issues to employers across the four nations. Most reported difficulties in accessing any form of protected time and this highlighted the need to continue work in the area.

Next steps involve working with the Pharmaceutical Journal to submit Freedom of Information requests to all managed service (NHS or GP) pharmacist employers and analyse the results. We will keep all informed of these developments.

NHS England and Integrated Care Board mergers/redundancies

The news in this area is rapidly developing. We still do not have all the information and beyond attention-grabbing headlines there has not been much officially from the Department of Health. We have a holding statement out and members potentially affected are encouraged to keep up-to-date with Unite press releases.

Communications from GHP

Our communications come in many forms – ostensibly on this website, on our Bluesky account, our new LinkedIn account, and via Guild Matters direct to member inboxes. If you suspect you are not receiving information from GHP – contact your local Unite office with your membership number and check you are aligned with GHP as a Unite member and your email preferences are set appropriately.

Get involved!

We heard consistently that members want to get involved. There is no better time. See our page on getting involved in Guild Council or contact ghp@unitetheunion.org to find out more.