UKCPA regularly reviews its strategies and objectives. To see this information in PDF format, please click here.

Our strategies: How we achieve our vision

We have developed strategies in key areas to help us achieve our vision for the Association and ultimately for our members.

Our marketing strategy outlines how we will strive to grow our membership across all areas, levels and sectors of practice. Growing our membership increases our strength and longevity as an Association, as well as expanding the pool of expertise which can share and promote expert practice to others, which is the core of our mission statement. It also gives us a solid financial footing to explore ways of providing members with new services and benefits.

We will do this in various ways:

• By more effectively promoting the Association and its member benefits to attract new members
• By more effectively promoting our existing events and member benefits to ensure increased attendance from members
• By promoting the Association to areas, levels and sectors of practice which are currently underrepresented by UKCPA in order to attract new members and gain a better representation of pharmacy practice
• By investigating and developing new opportunities to provide services and add value for money for existing members and to attract new members
• By working in partnership with other organisations, bodies and individuals to deliver relevant events and services which appeal to more practitioners and add value for money
• By ensuring that our promotional and marketing material has a coordinated and professional brand and image
• By ensuring that our website is efficient, effective, user-friendly, comprehensive and professional
• By enhancing and improving the networking and mentoring opportunities for members, particularly via social media
• By capitalising on new and popular technology, where appropriate, to enhance member services and the member experience, and provide value for money.
• By offering to act as an umbrella organisation to smaller specialist groups that may lack the infrastructure needed to support their activities

The UKCPA communications strategy describes our plans to communicate more effectively with our members, our potential members, and other stakeholders, as well as within the Association. Communication is inextricably linked with marketing and promotion, but it is also essential to maintain links with our existing members so that you know what the Association is doing and where your membership fee is going. We aim to:

• Build awareness of UKCPA across a wide but defined group of audiences and user groups
• Build awareness of the benefits that UKCPA can offer employers in developing their staff and the services they deliver to patients and how UKCPA acts as a forum for sharing good practice and clinical excellence
• Build awareness of the benefits and support that UKCPA membership brings to individual practitioners across a broad range of settings and levels
• Encourage participation and engagement with UKCPA among practitioners, academics, partner bodies, policy gatekeepers, students, and other communities
• Influence specific policies and/or policymakers around key aspects of practice pertinent to pharmaceutical care and clinical practice in the UK
• Develop statements and standards of patient care, in partnership with other organisations if appropriate, in order to demonstrate leadership and expertise
• Implement effective and efficient ways of communication within the Association
• Build awareness of UKCPA activities, plans and processes amongst its members
• Be open, succinct, accessible, credible and cost-effective
• Engage with and listen to the views of members in order to shape the Association into one which truly meets the needs of its membership.

UKCPA is aware that there is a need to develop effective and transparent processes and practices which support the management of the organisation, enhance and promote the work of the Association, and retain and attract membership. Our governance strategy was borne out of the need to be aware of our strengths and weaknesses, and to be cognisant of the opportunities to further, and threats to diminish, our future success. UKCPA members have the right to see progression towards the Association’s aims and objectives, which should be readily visible and have clear outcomes. There also needs to be a degree of openness and clarity about how decisions within the Association are made, who makes them, under what terms of reference, and who is accountable. We aim to:

• Make the strategic direction of UKCPA visible and clear, with a strong vision, comprehensive strategies, key objectives and future plans
• Communicate effectively with our members, particularly regarding the activities of the internal Committees and Groups
• Routinely gather and act on information and views from members regarding the activities of the organisation
• Establish a process to ensure resources are allocated and monitored with clarity and transparency, with regards to funding projects and initiatives
• Provide clear terms of reference for committees and Groups and their Chairpersons and members
• Put in place processes which effectively support and reward volunteers who contribute to the organisation, and which allow a greater number of members to contribute and encouragement of new volunteers
• Continuously monitor risks and threats to the organisation, and ensure processes and contingencies are in place to minimise such risks

In order to grow and consolidate the organisation it is essential to know the nature of the risks and threats which may compromise our mission and vision. The risk management strategy aims to:

• Identify potential risks and threats to the organisation
• Similarly identify strengths and opportunities to counteract risks and threats
• Consider how the risks may impact on UKCPA objectives
• Estimate the likelihood that the risks will occur
• Estimate the severity of their impact
• Outline the action which should be taken in the event of the threat
• Monitor the risks and review actions
• Ensure income and expenditure of the organisation is closely monitored and rationalised
• Ensure the benefits and risks of new business opportunities are appropriately modelled using a standard template.

Our objectives for 2010 to 2015: What we plan to achieve

The following objectives under key areas were agreed in January 2010 as part of the UKCPA Business Plan for 2010 to 2015:

Education, training and professional development support

• Provide a model for practitioner-led credentialing system for advanced and specialist practice
• Develop a responsive member support platform in order to deliver quality masterclasses, symposia and support to UKCPA members
• Develop support services for members to enhance professional development

Leadership and expertise

• Develop standards for pharmaceutical care
• Develop and publish model systems to optimise pharmaceutical care

Mentoring/networking

• Increase networking opportunities, conferencing, short course and other educational services to members in order to optimise pharmaceutical care with a focus on new media technologies

Organisational growth and effectiveness

• Design, implement, monitor and review development work to establish electronic links to promote the activities, products and services of UKCPA
• Introduce methods of promoting and further advancing the work of UKCPA by supporting nationally driven initiatives
• Develop alliances with partners to further enhance the work of UKCPA
• Maintain a dynamic communication strategy for UKCPA
• Retain and attract new members to UKCPA from all sectors including student and pre-registrants
• Establish good business management and governance practices in order to meet the UKCPA financial targets
• Establish and maintain the use of visual performance tools
• Review and update the constitution of UKCPA, if necessary.