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The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has appointed Paul Rees MBE as its new Chief Executive, with his role commencing on November 27th. Rees, currently serving as the Chief Executive of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and having held various roles throughout his career, will succeed Mark Lyonette, who is retiring, NPA said in a statement. "We anticipate Paul joining the NPA after a thorough recruitment process affirmed his suitability," said Nick Kaye, Chair of NPA. "Throughout his career, including his role at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, he has made a significant impact and achieved concrete changes in healthcare and society. I would also like to express my appreciation to Mark for his work as Chief Executive since 2018. He still has important tasks to complete at the NPA before his retirement." Rees has also held key positions at prominent organisations, including the Ramblers Association, National Housing Federation, Charities Aid Foundation, Association of University Teachers, and the , besides being the Head of Communications at the Home Office.

Paul Rees MBE, chief executive of the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), has announced his resignation to take on a new role as interim chief executive and registrar of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) in the new year. He will join the NMC on a one-year contract starting January 20, where he will oversee the development of a multi-year programme aimed at transforming the NMC's culture and performance. This follows an independent culture review conducted by Nazir Afzal OBE, which highlighted issues of racism, discrimination, and bullying within the organisation. The NPA is engaging a leading recruitment agency to find its next chief executive, with plans to make an appointment early in the New Year. NPA chair Nick Kaye praised Paul's contributions over the last year, stating: "I'm enormously grateful to Paul and the brilliant NPA team who are doing so much to raise the profile of community pharmacy, campaign for a better deal and improve our outstanding support to members. "Our board and senior team are pressing ahead with our very successful campaigning and our work to transform the support and services we give to pharmacies across the country.

Pharmacy teams across the country are joining forces for the second day of protest, organised by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), as part of its #SaveOurPharmacies campaign, on Thursday (September 19). A cross-sector delegation will present a petition signed by a record-breaking 350,000 people to No 10 Downing Street. The delegation will include National Pharmacy Association (NPA) CEO Paul Rees, NPA Chair Nick Kaye, Community Pharmacy England (CPE) Chief Executive Janet Morrison, Company Chemists' Association (CCA) CEO Malcolm Harrison, and Community Pharmacy NI Chief Executive Gerard Greene, The Save Our Pharmacies petition has surpassed the previous record held by a Royal College of GPs in 2014, whose petition, addressing the issue of general practice funding, secured 300,000 signatures. The NPA is hopeful that this show of solidarity by pharmacy teams will make a difference and open up conversations in Westminster and Whitehall.

'Community pharmacy is far too important to be allowed to wither away' desc-Thousands of pharmacies took part in the second day of the 'Save Our Pharmacies' protest organised by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) on Thursday. Similar to the first day of protest in June, pharmacies carried out several symbolic actions, such as blacking out windows, to warn of the threat of future closures. Meanwhile, NPA chief executive Paul Rees led a delegation of pharmacy leaders to deliver a 350,000-strong petition to No 10 Downing Street, calling for "immediate, fair and sustained funding to safeguard NHS pharmacy services and ensure local pharmacies have a future." The delegation included NPA Chair Nick Kaye; Janet Morrison, CEO of Community Pharmacy England (CPE); Malcolm Harrison, CEO of Company Chemists' Association (CCA), and Gerard Greene, CEO of Community Pharmacy Northern Ireland (CPNI). Steve Race MP, who is the new chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Pharmacy, and Sadik Al-Hassan, one of only two pharmacists in the House of Commons, also joined them.

The new Labour government's first budget has not been well received by community pharmacies, who are 'deeply worried' about the increase in National Insurance and the national living wage. They have also voiced their dissatisfaction with the Autumn Budget 2024 for lacking measures to address pharmacy closures. Commenting on the Chancellor's Budget, Paul Rees, CEO of the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) said: "Millions of people who depend on local pharmacies will be holding their breath today, hoping that the £22.6bn increase in health spending announced by the Chancellor will include money to stem the devastating closure of local health services in the past decade. "There's absolutely no mention in the Budget of action to halt the closure of our vital NHS pharmacy network, which has been shrinking at the rate of seven a week as pharmacies are forced to close through underfunding." According to the NPA, around 700 pharmacies have shut since just the start of 2022 due to the impact of a 40 per cent cut to funding coupled with rising demand.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has released new data revealing that adult smoking rates in the UK have fallen to their lowest levels on record. In 2023, only 11.9 per cent of adults aged 18 and over-approximately 6 million people-reported smoking cigarettes, marking the lowest proportion of smokers since the Annual Population Survey (APS) began in 2011. Since 2011, the proportion of smokers has decreased by 8.3 percentage points from 20.2 per cent. However, this change was not statistically significant when compared to the previous year's rates, which was 12.9 per cent in 2022. Among age groups, those aged 25 to 34 years had the highest smoking prevalence at 14.0 per cent in 2023. Notably, the 18 to 24 age group experienced the largest reduction in smoking rates, dropping by 15.9 percentage points from 25.7 per cent in 2011 to 9.8per cent in 2023. Commenting on the new ONS statistics, Paul Rees, CEO of the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), highlighted the importance of community pharmacies in combating smoking.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, during today's (15th May ) Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs), reiterated his commitment to supporting community pharmacies amidst growing concerns over pharmacy closures. Addressing questions regarding the Pharmacy First initiative, Sunak assured the House of Commons of his dedication to bolstering resources for these vital healthcare providers. In response to a query raised by Member of Parliament, St Ives MP Derek Thomas, citing statistics from the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) about "committing to directing funds towards Community Pharmacy to alleviate financial pressure and prevent closures, Sunak remarked that he "cares deeply about the future of community pharmacies." Sunak acknowledged the indispensable role played by community pharmacists in alleviating pressure on urgent care services, emphasising the importance of initiatives like Pharmacy First in government's commitment to supporting community pharmacies. "There are over 10 and a half Community pharmacies across the country working incredibly hard to serve their patients," Sunak said praising the community pharmacists and highlighted the concerning trend of pharmacy closures, citing a significant increase compared to the previous year.