The vote on the proposals for the future of PSNC and LPCs (setting the direction for pharmacy representation) began on Friday 27th May 2022 and ended on Friday 17th June 2022. On this page you’ll find information that was distributed about voting, the voting parameters and the ballot result from Wednesday 22nd June 2022.
The ballot closed at 11.59pm on Friday 20th June 2022. The outcome of the vote is as follows:
Number of ODS codes eligible to vote : 11,132
Number of votes cast in the ballot : 7601
Votes cast in the ballot as a % of those eligible : 68.3%
The ballot question was: Do you accept the proposals setting the direction for pharmacy representation?
Results of voting
Yes : 6732 / 88.6%
No : 869 / 11.4%
The contractor vote was overseen by Civica Election Services (formerly Electoral Reform Services) who acted as the independent scrutineer and adjudicator. Their report of voting can be read here.
A slide deck of the results and immediate next steps is available here, for use at LPC meetings.
RSG press release following vote result
Voting process
PDF versions of the pre-vote notices sent to contractors since April 2022 are available below.
Pre-vote notice (sent to pharmacy premises NHSmail email addresses 21st April 2022)
Pre-vote notice (hard copy sent by post to pharmacy premises by week ending 22nd April 2022)
Pre-vote notice (sent to pharmacy premises NHSmail email addresses 20th May 2022)
Pre-vote notice (hardcopy sent to contractors between 19/20th May 2022)
Pre-vote notice (sent by email to bulk voters 20th May 2022)
Details of the voting notices and reminders sent to contractors during the voting period are available below.
Voting notice (hard copy sent to contractors by Royal Mail on 27/28th May 2022)
Voting notice (sent to pharmacy premises NHSmail email addresses 27th May 2022)
Voting notice (sent by email to bulk voters 27th May 2022)
Voting reminder notice (sent by email to all non-voters 10th June 2022)
Voting reminder notice (sent by email to all non-voters 15th June 2022)
In addition to the email voting reminders, the RSG commissioned outbound phone calls to non-voters to encourage engagement with the proposals and awareness of the ballot. This was to compliment other communication tools such as email and digital channels to be as inclusive as possible. A copy of the script used by call handlers is available here.
Voting parameters
Contractors were asked in a single vote to approve (or not) the proposals for the future of local and national contractor representation and support. The ballot question was as follows: Do you accept the proposals setting the direction for pharmacy representation? Contractors had to respond either ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to this question. The RSG did not ask contractors to choose between several options as it is crucial that the outcome is a clear decision to either proceed or not.
One vote was permitted per contract owned (i.e. one vote per ODS code), and all votes were equally weighted.
Voting thresholds:
- The result will be measured on the percentage of all votes cast.
- A two-thirds majority of all those casting a vote is required to approve the vote.
- The target voter turnout will be two-thirds of the contractor base. A significant majority of contractors are required to vote, and a significant majority to vote in the same way, to approve the vote.
The results of the ballot and independent scrutineer’s report will be published to the sector by Wednesday 22nd June 2022.
Further information
Further information about the design of the contractor decision making process is available here.
Some FAQs about the voting parameters that have been set are available here.
Practical support and common questions about casting your vote
Pharmacy Representation RSG 