MERGER


‘Everyone – including the UCA Executive Committee and all


UCA members – needs to be behind the


merger and to keep


an open mind on the whole process


> legacy of the Uca. We have to remain mindful of the fact that the Uca has been in existence since 1901, and that legacy is in our hands. the objectives of Uca Ltd will be the same as those of the Uca, but while the body will be doing the same things as before, we need to define how these will be sustainable in the future.


‘over the three-year transition period, we will have to get a business plan in place. the whole communication structure that Uca has built up cannot be easily replicated by cPnI, but there are certainly many business opportunities that can be availed of, and cPnI will be able to deliver income from services delivered. Since cPnI is a statutory, named body, the structures are very complex but, as I say, we can overcome any challenges by working in unity.


‘the negotiations have now been going on for about six months. We had tried to get everything bedded in by December of last year, but, in the end, it took until the end of april. there certainly weren’t huge disputes but the devil, as they say, is in the detail, and it is dealing with that detail that has slowed the process down a little.


‘the simple fact is that this project has to work. It would be too easy for both organisations to simply sit on the sidelines and wait for things to happen. Pharmacy needs to speak with one voice, and the two Uca members, who will sit on the board


8 - PharmacY In focUS


of Uca Ltd, plus the four Uca members moving to the cPnI Board, will carry the torch for the organisation. this merger is only the first step in the process.’


terry’s fellow negotiator, current Uca President, cliff mcElhinney, echoes terry’s assertion that the profession needs to speak with one voice.


‘there is no doubt that all contractors in northern Ireland need to be represented so that all voices can be heard,’ says cliff, ‘so, as negotiators, we are very conscious of the fact that we are representing all of those voices.


‘going forward, it is vitally important that the four Uca representatives, who will sit on the cPnI board, need to be both open-minded and willing to integrate with cPnI. there needs to be inclusion also from cPnI and confidence in the negotiators that cPnI want to work together to promote both the value of - and unity in - community pharmacy. all our discussions to date have shown this to be the case. Both parties want the merger to work!


‘Everyone – including the Uca Executive committee and all Uca members – needs to be behind the merger and to keep an open mind on the whole process. this is a new start and can only lead to something that is very positive.


‘the merger provides the Uca with an opportunity to show its strengths.


from service provision to opening new revenue streams, we have a brilliant opportunity to show that we can think slightly out of the box and to provide services that are innovative and can only benefit healthcare throughout the province. from the day-to-day services such as mUrs and managing Your medicines, to innovative new initiatives such as Primarycare and community together (Pact) and pharmacy input to the mid & East antrim agewell Partnership (mEaaP), the Uca can provide a huge amount of support to contractors.


‘Pact has already clearly shown what the Uca can do and can provide cPnI with services that, as a statutory body, they have not been able to do to date. the new company will be able to continue and expand services that benefit contractors and the general public.


‘this merger is a clear example of synergy. the Uca will preserve its legacy and cPnI will strengthen the community pharmacy voice.


‘Pharmacy trading conditions and healthcare provision have changed dramatically over the Uca’s 115-year history.


‘Even over the last few years – during my presidency of Uca – you can see how trading conditions have changed. People are now looking much more carefully at how money is being spent. Even within my own pharmacy I now ‘farm out’ my human


resource requirements, my accounts etc, and I’m looking much more closely at what I’m getting value wise. this is becoming standard practice across the board, and that’s exactly why this merger will provide the Uca with the opportunity to highlight the strengths of the services, which it can offer. this is not simply about merging with cPnI, this is about achieving unity within community pharmacy. more importantly, it is about having a body that can provide support to the profession as and when it is needed.


‘as terry said, we were losing a significant amount of money each year and something simply had to be done. We needed to be in a strong financial position and the simple fact is that we weren’t, so it was time to change. When I became President, I made it my goal to have this change implemented during my tenure. I was determined to get this change over the line and I’m delighted that we are almost there. We know that this merger can work. We have already seen it work in Scotland where there is now a pharmacy provision that, dare I say it, is the envy of pharmacists throughout northern Ireland. We want to have that level of success here too and I believe that, with the effort that everyone is putting into these negotiations, and attention to detail that is being paid, we will get there.


‘as terry says, there is no other option for it. this merger has to work.’


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