Hundreds of healthcare professionals gathered at the National Conference Centre in Birmingham last month for the inaugural Community Pharmacy and General Practice Conference.

Launched by Cogora, publishers of Pulse and The Pharmacist, in partnership with the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), the event set out to achieve something genuinely different: bringing together community pharmacy and general practice – two sectors that, despite serving the same patients, have too often been positioned as competitors by policy in areas such as vaccination, misaligned NHS contracts and service delivery.

The conference aimed to strengthen collaboration between the professions, exploring how they can better harness their complementary skills, align services, free up clinician time, improve efficiency and, ultimately, deliver better patient care and outcomes.

Gemma Collins, Director of Content and Editorial at Cogora, said: “This conference reflects our shared belief that stronger partnerships between community pharmacy and general practice are essential to delivering more proactive, accessible and patient-centred care.”

Olivier Picard, Chair of the NPA, commented: “This is a unique national event bringing together community pharmacy and general practice with one shared goal – stronger collaboration for better patient care”.

The two-day programme opened with a video address from Stephen Kinnock MP, Minister of State for Care, who said: “Stronger collaboration between GPs and community pharmacy is not just desirable, it is vital to the future success of the NHS.” Sessions were grouped around five key themes developed with input from a Programme Advisory Committee representing the British Medical Association, Community Pharmacy England, the Royal College of Pharmacy, LMCs, LPCs, ICBs, PCNs, other key primary care organisations and patients.

Sessions focused on:

• Collaboration in Action – showcasing successful joint working in areas including Pharmacy First and vaccination.
• Workforce and Leadership – including a lively discussion on leading change in Manchester.
• AI and Technology for Integration – exploring how digital platforms and data can enable closer collaboration.
• Business and Service Innovation – examining opportunities to align pathways such as cardiovascular disease.
• Clinical Skills Boosters – covering topics including respiratory disease, obesity and allergy.

Programme highlights included a keynote from GP and former Government health advisor Professor Sir John Oldham, who urged: “My encouragement to you at this conference and others is act together to make sure what is necessary for the people you look after happens, and if we do that, then we have a chance, and I really believe that this is the last chance to secure the future of the NHS care system as we know it.’

The second day opened with a high-profile cross-sector debate exploring how community pharmacy and general practice can move beyond simply being neighbours to becoming trusted partners working together for patients.

The speaker line-up reflected the breadth of primary care, featuring Professor Victoria Tzortziou Brown OBE, President of Council, RCGP, Dr Richard Vautrey CBE, GP and President, RCGP and Past Chair, BMA’s GP Committee, Kim Ball, UK Professional Lead – Primary Care, RCN, and David Webb, Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for England, alongside a compelling patient perspective from Steve Gilbert OBE.

The conference also showcased collaboration in action through the popular Hall of Heroes poster exhibition and lightning talks, highlighting innovative examples of partnership working from across the country. These displays became a focal point of activity on the exhibition floor, alongside a 69-stand exhibition featuring pharmaceutical companies, clinician-led start-ups, charities and healthcare suppliers serving both sectors.

Networking continued into the Sunday evening with a drinks reception and buffet in the courtyard, giving delegates the opportunity to build the professional relationships that will help turn ideas into action.

The conference itself was made possible through the support of a broad coalition of primary care organisations. Community Pharmacy England (CPE), the Centre of Pharmacy Post Graduate Education (CPPE), the Primary Care Pharmacy Association (PCPA), the Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing (QICN) and PMA joined as official event partners, underlining the sector-wide commitment to closer collaboration and integrated primary care.

The enthusiasm for this shared mission continued well beyond the event itself, with more than 120 LinkedIn posts, photos and reflections celebrating the conference.

“One key message emerged: Community pharmacies and GP practices may operate under different contracts, but they serve the same patients…”  – Bola Sotuba, Senior Healthcare Leader

“The biggest takeaway? Primary care and community pharmacy are natural allies forced into a system historically set up to make us adversaries.” – Community Pharmacy Hertfordshire

Following the success of the inaugural event, planning is already underway for the 2027 Community Pharmacy and General Practice Conference. Dates and venue will be announced shortly.

Cogora’s first Community Pharmacy and General Practice Conference generated extensive editorial coverage across its brands as healthcare professionals from across primary care explored how closer collaboration can help transform patient care.

The two-day conference in June, run jointly with the National Pharmacy Association, provided a platform for government ministers, NHS leaders, clinicians and policy experts to discuss the future of integrated primary care with hundreds of delegates working in general practice and community pharmacy.

Cogora’s editorial team worked tirelessly across the two days to cover the event for their brands. Director of Content and Editorial, Gemma Collins, did the opening address on both days whilst editors chaired some of the sessions and worked with the reporters to capture the key topics and debates and generate more than 20 news stories, features and opinion pieces.  

The Pharmacist and Pulse both reported on primary care minister Stephen Kinnock’s speech which kick-started the Birmingham event and set the collaborative tone for the two days as he stressed that the future success of the NHS will depend on stronger collaboration between community pharmacy and general practice.

The Pharmacist also highlighted the Government’s ambition to expand the role of pharmacists with the delivery of independent prescribing services under the new pharmacy contract, helping to ease pressure on GPs.

The future of primary care commissioning and neighbourhood health featured prominently throughout the conference. Reporting across The Pharmacist, Pulse, Management in Practice, Healthcare Leader and Pulse PCN examined growing calls from system leaders for GP and pharmacy contracts to become more closely aligned, enabling neighbourhood teams to work more effectively together rather than through separate funding mechanisms.

Political leadership and NHS reform were another major focus, particularly as the conference coincided with prime minister Keir Starmer announcing his resignation and newly elected MP for Makerfield Andy Burnham throwing his hat in the ring to replace him.

The Pharmacist and Pulse covered long-standing Government adviser on neighbourhood health and former GP, Sir John Oldham’s session at the end of the first day when he warned it was the ‘last chance’ for GPs and community colleagues to ensure the future of the health service. He also argued that NHS England has been “institutionally biased” against primary care, as reported by The Pharmacist.   

The Pharmacist, Management in Practice and Pulse also highlighted calls for vaccine commissioning arrangements to encourage collaboration rather than competition And Nursing in Practice reported on the Royal College of Nursing’s primary care nursing lead Kim Ball expressing optimism around increased collaboration between community pharmacy and practice nurses, while also highlighting funding challenges that continue to limit progress.

The impact that medicine shortages are having on general practice and community pharmacy was highlighted by Nursing in Practice as the conference heard how practice nurses are having to navigate patient anxieties, causing their appointments to be derailed as patients spend time discussing how to access their medicines.

Management in Practice, The Pharmacist and Nursing in Practice also reported how collaborative models between GP practices and community pharmacies have already freed thousands of GP appointments and Pulse editor Sofia Lind’s reflection on the event highlighted the very same point; how GPs and pharmacists recognising they are colleagues and not rivals can make a big impact on patient care.  

We are pleased to announce a new partnership between our Community Pharmacy and General Practice Conference and the Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing.

The Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing (QICN) is a registered charity dedicated to improving the nursing care of people in the home and community. They promote excellent nursing care for everyone, where and when they need it, provided by nurses and their teams with specific skills and knowledge.

Steph Lawrence MBE, Chief Executive of QICN, notes, ‘This conference will be really important for General Practice Nurses as a core part of the primary health care team, and this will be a great opportunity to raise the profile of general practice nursing’.

We are delighted to be working with QICN, helping to raise the profile of their organisation and their aims.

In partnership with the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), this new event, the Community Pharmacy and General Practice Conference, will bring together 1,000+ professionals from across community pharmacy, general practice and wider primary care – redefining neighbourhood health.

Taking place 21-22 June 2026, at the National Conference Centre in Birmingham, this national event will welcome community pharmacists, GPs, practice managers, GP and PCN pharmacists, PCN and ICB leaders, nurses and more, for two days of real-world learning, implementable ideas, and meaningful relationship building.

Partnership opportunities allow you to influence the direction of primary care and position your organisation as a trusted partner in transformation.