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A panel session at this year's Sigma Pharmaceuticals conference saw a lively debate on whether contractors should be allowed to know how their Community Pharmacy England representative votes on funding decisions - and accusations of a 'leak' on the CPE committee breaching their non-disclosure agreement. 

The panel discussion this morning (May 13), moderated by Salim Jetha and Brij Valla of Avicenna Membership Services, considered whether there should be more transparency around how elected CPE reps vote.

Prakash Patel, who is himself a regional CPE rep for North London but who spoke in a personal capacity as a contractor, answered the question with a "soft yes" and agreed in principle that how each committee member votes on funding "should be shown," adding: "That's what happens at the cabinet in 10 Downing Street."

But he added: "The NHS stipulates that each of us has got to sign an NDA. It's not just one or two things, there's a full bundle of documents that need to be gone through and these are highly confidential items. 

"If these are given out beforehand that is an unfair advantage to a particular sector.

"Yes, transparency is good but there are reasons why certain aspects of the negotiations cannot be revealed."

Bristol contractor Simon Harris said: "It doesn't matter to me whether I have transparency or not as long as those representatives are doing the best for individual pharmacy contractors who are working their hardest to provide the best possible service."

Contractor Uma Patel accepted there should be "certain matters of confidence" during funding talks to allow negotiations to proceed but said: "However, who voted yes and who voted no should be avilable."

Addressing Prakash Patel, Uma said: "All of you have signed a confidentiality agreement, yet there was a leak about this negotiation. So who was the leak? Obviously one of you."

Olivier Picard, the newly appointed chair of the National Pharmacy Association and a CPE rep himself, clarified for the conference that while the Nolan principle "protects members of CPE from exposure of hwo they voted," they are permitted to answer questions regarding whether they voted in favour or against.

Mr Picard also explained that the CPE follows a secret ballot system "which means that I do not actually know how Prakash voted for the deal - whether he voted for it or whether he voted against it".

Complaining of a "secret cabal" within CPE, pharmacist Hemant Patel said: "They are a union. Can you imagine a union going back to the constituency and saying, I can't tell you how I voted? It is nonsense.

"It needs a review. If you want transparency, if you want democracy, then accountability to the levy payers is important."

Prakash Patel replied: "If the grassroots want that secret ballot to be revealed I am happy to go back to the committee and put it as an agenda point where it can be discussed."

A show of hands at the end of the discussion indicated overwhelming support among conference delegates for making CPE ballots transparent.