Chief executive of the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC), Sue Sharpe, has announced that she will retire from her role at the end of this year.

Sharpe, who has held the position for 16 years, made the announcement today (9 May) during the monthly meeting of the negotiator in London.

'Very tough' 18 months

Sharpe commented: 'When I decided to inform PSNC of my decision to resign at the end of the year I was confident that by now we would have learnt the outcome of the Judicial Review, but we are still waiting.

'The last 18 months have been very tough for the sector and for PSNC, and the challenges are not going away. Whatever the outcome of the case, we will need to continue to fight to ensure that pharmacies’ support for patients and role in our communities is protected and developed.

'That remains PSNC’s priority and we are preparing the next stages in our campaign. All of my brilliant team are working and will continue to work to ensure the organisation does the very best for the contractors we represent.'

'An exceptional advocate for community pharmacy'

PSNC Chair Mike Pitt said: 'It has been a pleasure to work with Sue and the team at PSNC since I was appointed as chair two years ago. Sue has been an exceptional advocate for community pharmacy, working tirelessly to promote the sector on behalf of PSNC and all the contractors it represents. She will be a very hard act to follow.

'PSNC has already begun to consider the recruitment process for a replacement CEO, but it will of course take time to ensure that we appoint the right person.'