Community Pharmacy England has launched a survey to help gather input from community pharmacy owners ahead of its July committee meeting.

This is the first time that the new look CPE committee has sought views in this way and comes as part of its new approach to engaging with pharmacy contractors.

CPE’s negotiating team is currently working through negotiations on the Primary Care Access Plan to make the most of the £645 million investment of new money for the sector. “The progress of these negotiations will be a key focus for the July meeting, and we are keen for all pharmacy owners to have the chance to directly input into those discussions,” says CPE.

As well as informing discussions at July’s meeting, answers to the survey will feed into ongoing work to press for an uplift to core funding by enhancing CPE’s evidence base of what pharmacy owners are experiencing.

Contractors are being asked for their views on their pharmacy’s finances, pressures and capacity. In particular, CPE wants to know how businesses are coping financially, the impact the current economic situation is having on the care provided to patients, the capacity to offer advanced services, and any changes (other than funding) would make life easier.

“The results of this poll will help us to listen to and to better represent your views, and the data we gather will also help us to get our key messages across to ministers, officials and other policymakers,” says CPE chief executive Janet Morrison.

“There is a real commitment from everyone here to shift the ways in which we engage with you, and in time we hope these surveys will become a really valuable tool in delivering your thoughts directly to the Committee, and beyond.”

The survey (www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/QK3G8NF) should take around 10 minutes to complete and will close at midnight on 2 July.