The UK Clinical Pharmacy Association (UKCPA) is a member association for clinical pharmacy practitioners. We encourage, support and promote advanced practice in pharmacy.
The UKCPA actively develops clinical pharmacy practice as well as developing individual practitioners, and we are frequently at the forefront of initiatives such as establishing professional curricula, developing professional recognition (credentialing) processes, and developing professional tools and frameworks for practitioners.
We have a clear mission and visions and have developed strategies and objectives which set out how we will achieve our visions. We have a 5-year business plan and a transparent governance process so that our members can see how their association is run and where their membership fee is being spent.
The UKCPA General Committee is responsible for the management and direction of UKCPA. More information about the structure and governance of UKCPA is available here.
Membership has grown significantly over the years, and we now have over 2400 members from all sectors of the profession. With this broad spectrum of members, the Association is able to access a wide range of knowledge and expertise to enable high quality patient-focused care. To read about the benefits that UKCPA membership can bring you, please click here.
The Association now occupies three offices in Wigston, Leicestershire. Administration of all UKCPA events and services is dealt with by the office team who are always pleased to help with enquiries. Please see here for further contact details.
Specialist groups
UKCPA currently has 18 specialist groups who deliver Masterclasses and conference worksessions and are involved in many other professional activities. Each of these Groups has a committee which makes decisions about professional activities under the UKCPA umbrella.
We actively encourage and welcome new committee members to continue to build on the UKCPA Groups’ aims of promoting the continuing education and networking of its members through symposia, Masterclasses and online networks. The success of the Groups depends entirely on the enthusiasm and hard work of its members. If you would like to contribute your expertise to a committee and have a real influence on the Group’s activities, please put your name forward for nomination. If you would like any further information, please contact either the Chair of the Group you are interested in or the UKCPA office.
We have additional groups who have an online discussion forum. To view all our Groups click here.
Background
The Association was established in 1981 with the aim of bringing together like-minded pharmacists from different practice areas to share knowledge, research and experiences. This remains our core aim today. We provide networking and educational opportunities for our 2300+ members to discuss and resolve current clinical issues and share best practice.
In 1996 UKCPA published its Statement on pharmaceutical care. This widely distributed document presents the Association’s philosophy on the continued development of the profession where the delivery of pharmaceutical care will be multi-disciplinary with goals or outcomes agreed with the patient.
Partnerships and collaborations
In April 2011 the UKCPA became an official partner of the pharmacy professional body, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. UKCPA is also regularly consulted by other organisations such as the Department of Health, NICE, the MHRA and other professional bodies.
We work closely with the British Pharmaceutical Student’s Association (BPSA), the Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists (GHP), specialist pharmacy organisations, and other professional bodies and representatives of healthcare professionals. We also have excellent working relationships with our industry colleagues and endeavour to work within the ABPI Code of Practice.
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