Robbie Turner has been appointed chief transformation officer at the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) to oversee an overhaul of pharmacy representation in England.

Mr Turner, who left his role as the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s (RPS) director of pharmacy and membership experience in March this year, will work closely with LPCs to lead the PSNC’s Transforming Pharmacy Representation (TAPR) workstream as part of his new role.

The TAPR programme was introduced by the PSNC last month as part of eight workstreams to address Review Steering Group (RSG) recommendations on how to reform the representation and support provided by PSNC and LPCs to community pharmacies in England.

Mr Turner’s role will include providing specialist hands-on guidance and support to LPC members and officers, supporting LPCs to implement their proposals, promoting the implementation of the RSG proposals, best practice and challenging the status quo.

The PSNC said Mr Turner ‘brings a wealth of experience to the role’, because he was formerly chief officer of community pharmacy at West Yorkshire LPC, and was subsequently director for England and director of pharmacy and member experience at the RPS.

It added that the appointment is a ‘significant step forward’ in its TAPR work, and said that further updates will come in the coming weeks, and a ‘more detailed action plan’ by the end of September.

Robbie Turner, PSNC chief transformation officer, said: ‘I’m delighted to be joining PSNC at this exciting time for PSNC, the LPCs and the community pharmacy sector. I’m looking forward to working closely with many of my former colleagues in LPCs again.

‘There is much to be done at a local level to implement the RSG proposals and I will be reaching out to LPCs very soon about how I can support them through this process.’

James Wood, PSNC director of contractor and LPC support, said: ‘We’re really excited to have Robbie joining us at this critical point for LPCs and PSNC as we look to make positive changes following the outcomes of the RSG work.

‘Robbie brings a huge amount of experience, enthusiasm, and credibility to this piece of work. He will be well known to many in pharmacy, and his experience in bringing together LPCs for the benefit of contractors in Yorkshire will be invaluable to other LPCs as they look to the changes ahead.’