First Published 2026 · England The Practising Owner — Professional Pharmacy Management Series onay.uk
New Release · 2026 · United Kingdom

The
Practising
Owner

Running an Independent NHS Community Pharmacy

The book that independent pharmacy owners in England have needed for years — and never had. Comprehensive, GPhC-compliant, and built entirely around the realities of NHS community pharmacy practice in 2026.
22 Chapters + 9 Appendices · ~365 pages
A5 · 2026 England · First Edition
British Library Legal Deposit Copy Submitted
Onur Aykanat
The Practising
Owner
Running an Independent
NHS Community Pharmacy
Onur Aykanat
2025 Golden Mortar Award Winner "The Oscars of Pharmacy" · Independent Pharmacy Excellence
A Legal Deposit Copy has been submitted to the British Library In accordance with the Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003

What this book is

The Only Book Written Specifically
for Independent NHS Pharmacy Owners in England

There are thousands of clinical pharmacy textbooks. There are NHS policy documents. There are GPhC inspection guidelines. But until now, there has been no single comprehensive, practical, legally-grounded management guide written specifically for the person who owns and runs an independent community pharmacy in England.

This book is that guide. It covers everything the MPharm did not teach you — and everything you need to still be open, profitable, and clinically excellent in five years.

"The pharmacist who qualifies with a first-class degree and GPhC registration may have no idea how to read a profit and loss account, no understanding of how retained margin works in practice, and no knowledge of what their legal obligations are when a member of staff is repeatedly sick. This is not a personal failing. It is a structural consequence of how pharmacy education is designed."

— The Practising Owner, Chapter One

Do You Recognise Yourself?

If any of these questions land — this book was written for you.

You dispense thousands of items every month — but could you explain exactly where your NHSBSA payment comes from, line by line, in under ten minutes?

Chapter 2 & 8 answer this directly

Your pharmacy is registered for Pharmacy First. But are you capturing every eligible consultation, documenting correctly, and claiming before the fifth working day deadline?

Chapter 11 is the Pharmacy First operational blueprint

A GPhC denetim inspector arrives tomorrow morning. Could you open every SOP folder, near-miss log, and CD balance record without anxiety?

Chapter 13: 35-point self-inspection checklist

You have good dispensary staff. But if you took two weeks off tomorrow, would the pharmacy run to exactly the same standard — or would things begin to slip?

Chapters 5 & 7 build the system that doesn't need you

You know your NHS income was lower last month. But do you know which of the five income streams changed, and exactly what you need to do about it?

Chapters 8 & 9: the five-stream income model

You qualified as a pharmacist. Someone handed you a business. The clinical training was excellent. Was there a single day of practice management training?

This entire book answers that gap

If even one of these questions made you pause — then the knowledge, the frameworks, and the action plans you need are in this book. Everything the MPharm didn't teach you. Everything you need.

Inside the book

Six Parts. Twenty-Two Chapters.
Every Dimension of Independent Pharmacy Management.

Part One
The Honest Picture
Chapter 1
What Nobody Told You at Graduation
You were trained to be a pharmacist. Nobody trained you to run a business. This chapter names the four skill sets that determine whether your pharmacy grows or closes — and gives you an honest assessment of where you currently stand.
Chapter 2
The NHS Contract — What You Actually Signed
Most pharmacy owners can describe the CPCF broadly. Very few can explain retained margin, the three payment tiers, or why their PQS claim might be incomplete. This chapter changes that.
Chapter 3
The Crisis Nobody Fixed
Over 1,100 pharmacies have closed in England since 2016. Not from bad luck. This chapter identifies the three management failure modes common to virtually every closure — and shows exactly what growing pharmacies do differently.
Part Two
Getting the Foundations Right
Chapter 4
What Kind of Pharmacy Do You Actually Want?
Three pharmacy models. One strategic choice. Your one-page strategy — the framework that makes every subsequent decision easier and more consistent.
Chapter 5
SOPs — Because Memory Is Not a System
GPhC-compliant SOP templates for the ten highest-risk dispensary processes. The near-miss culture that protects your patients. The system that runs whether you're there or not.
Chapter 6
Your Team
Good hiring, structured induction, IR35-compliant locum management. The conversations you've been avoiding. The employment law you need to know before you need it.
Chapter 6B New
Intergenerational Management in Your Pharmacy
Four generations working side by side. Different values, different communication styles, different risks. This chapter gives you the practical framework — with full Equality Act 2010 compliance guidance — for managing a multigenerational team effectively.
Chapter 7
Running the Day
Opening procedures, CD balance, temperature logs, RP absence — the legal framework and practical checklists for every day your pharmacy opens. The 2026 supervision reforms explained clearly.
Part Three
The Money
Chapter 8
Understanding Your NHS Income
Five income streams. The Category M retained margin model. Why most pharmacies consistently leave money unclaimed — and the monthly audit that fixes it.
Chapter 9
Making the Numbers Work
Five KPIs that tell you whether your pharmacy is financially healthy before the bank calls. The monthly dashboard that takes 30 minutes and saves you thousands.
Chapter 10
Cash Flow
Profitable pharmacies run out of cash. This chapter explains why — and gives you the twelve-month forecast model that prevents it from happening to yours.
Part Four
Clinical Services — Actually Running Them
Chapter 11
Pharmacy First — Doing It Properly
Seven conditions. GP Connect Access Record. Five-stage patient flow. The documentation standard that satisfies GPhC. The claiming process that means you actually get paid. Most pharmacies are registered. Far fewer are doing it right.
Chapter 12
The Services Worth Doing (And Those That Aren't)
NMS now covers five therapeutic areas — including antidepressants from October 2025. AUR. Local commissioning. The three-question framework that evaluates every clinical service you're registered for.
Chapter 13
GPhC Inspection — Being Ready
The five standards. The ten most common inspection findings. The 35-point self-inspection checklist that shows you exactly what the inspector will look for — before they arrive.
Part Five
Your Pharmacy in the Community
Chapter 14
What Chains Cannot Do
The independent pharmacy's real competitive advantage. ICB relationships. GP practice engagement. The Tudor Hart inverse care law — and why your pharmacy is the best-placed institution to address it.
Chapter 15
Your Reputation — Manage It Before It Manages You
Brand fundamentals. The patient experience journey. Google Business Profile. NHS.uk profile. Complaint management under the NHS Complaints Regulations 2009.
Ch 12A New
Becoming a Brand Pharmacy
Five-sense patient experience design. Private label compliance (UK SCPN portal). Curated gift sets within ASA and MHRA guidelines. Community presence strategy. The route from dispensing pharmacy to community health centre.
Ch 11A New
Digital Transformation and AI in Your Pharmacy
Five-level Digital Maturity Map. AI governance: what tools are permitted, what MHRA classification means, what UK GDPR requires. Social media within GPhC boundaries. The pharmacy of 2030 — and how to be ready for it.
Chapter 16
Digital Without the Nonsense
EPS. GP Connect. PMR analytics. What AI can and cannot do in a community pharmacy. Social media guardrails that keep you compliant.
Part Six
The Ninety Days
Chapter 17
Days 1–30: Getting the Ground Clear
The diagnostic month. Financial baseline. Operations audit. Team conversations. The 20-task calendar that tells you exactly what to do in the first month of transformation.
Chapter 18
Days 31–60: Building the Systems
From diagnosis to action. Financial systems. SOP library. Staff development. Clinical service processes. The changes that compound.
Chapter 19
Days 61–90: Clinical Services and Community
Service expansion. ICB engagement. GP relationships. The 90-Day Transformation Scorecard — 20 measurable benchmarks that show you exactly how far you've come.

Appendices B–J Include

10 GPhC-compliant SOP templates · HR document suite · Brand and private label toolkit

Legal & Compliance Tools

14 HR and business forms · Trainee/FTPP placement pack · Legal compliance notes

NEW: Appendix J

Month-by-month UK pharmacy action plan — NHS campaigns, OTC focus, seasonal gift sets, key dates

Why this book stands alone

Nothing Like This Has Ever Been Written
for Independent Pharmacy in England

⚖️
100% UK Law Compliant
Every regulatory reference — GPhC standards, NHS CPCF 2025/26, Employment Rights Act, UK GDPR, Human Medicines Regulations, ACAS Code — is current, verified, and chapter-cited. Reviewed by specialist health law advisors before publication.
🏥
Adaptable Across Countries
The core management frameworks — financial systems, team management, clinical service design — have been developed with international pharmacy contexts in mind. This edition is built for England; the thinking applies wherever pharmacy is practised.
📋
Ready to Use Today
Every chapter includes a Workshop, a Position Assessment scorecard, and a Progress Marker. You do not just read this book — you work through it. At the end of 90 days, you will have a measurably different pharmacy.
Onur Aykanat — 2025 Golden Mortar Award Winner, Independent Pharmacy Excellence Award
20+
Years in Pharmacy
12
Healthcare Projects
2
International Projects
2025
Golden Mortar Award

Onur Aykanat

Pharmacist · Entrepreneur · Health Policy Innovator · Award-Winning Author

Onur Aykanat is one of the most recognised pharmacist-entrepreneurs in international pharmacy management. The 2025 recipient of the Golden Mortar Award (Altın Havan) — described as the "Oscars of Pharmacy" — he was honoured for a portfolio of twelve healthcare initiatives (ten national, two international) that have materially advanced public health.

His pharmacy, Doruk Pharmacy in Istanbul, has been consistently cited as a pioneering model for the profession — a benchmark that other pharmacies across Turkey and internationally have studied and followed. What was built at Doruk did not stay there: it influenced sector practice, shaped operational standards, and contributed directly to the future of pharmacy and health policy.

  • 2025 Independent Pharmacy Excellence Award — recognised for outstanding contribution to independent pharmacy practice
  • 2025 "Best Independent Pharmacist of the Year" (Serbest Eczacı Ödülü) — Turkey's highest individual pharmacy honour
  • Founded Farmazon.com.tr — Turkey's first B2B pharmacist-to-pharmacist online sales platform; widely adopted across the sector
  • Lead consultant, RxMediaPharma — the only pharmacy management system of its kind in Turkey; co-designed operational architecture and contributed to international adaptation
  • Created EczAgent — AI-powered smart ordering and inventory system for community pharmacies; adopted by major pharmaceutical wholesalers in Turkey
  • Founded WellMind360 / Docorp LLC — Florida, USA — a claims-linked preventive care platform for payers, FQHCs, and community pharmacies
  • National & international congress speaker — represented Turkey at World Pharmacy Meetings as an Alphega Alpha Pharmacist; speaker at pharmacy symposia and academic congresses
  • University pharmacy faculty lecturer — seminars, guest lectures, and internship commission roles at pharmacy faculties across Turkey
  • Free pharmacy student training programme — founded 2019; a voluntary group providing free professional development education to pharmacy students and newly qualified pharmacists, preparing them for the realities of practice
  • Academic publications — authored peer-reviewed articles and contributed to pharmacy practice research
  • Contributing to future pharmacy and health policy — through innovation, writing, and international collaboration, actively shaping what pharmacy looks like in the next decade
2025 Golden Mortar Award
Altın Havan Ödülleri
2025 Independent Pharmacy
Excellence Award
BPharm Istanbul University
Licence No: 7090
APhA · NABP American Pharmacists
Association Member

This book is essential reading for

If You Are Connected to Independent Community Pharmacy
in England — Read This Book

🏪
Independent Pharmacy Owners
You are running a business, managing clinical risk, and navigating the most complex NHS contractual framework in primary care — without a business degree, without a management manual, and often without anyone who has been where you are. This book is your manual. Your 90-day plan. Your competitive advantage.
Urgent reading
👨‍⚕️
Pharmacists Working in Independent Pharmacies
Understanding how the business you work in actually functions — how NHS income is structured, what GPhC expects, how Pharmacy First should work operationally — will make you a more effective pharmacist, a stronger clinical professional, and a more credible candidate for leadership.
Career-defining reading
🎓
Pharmacy Students & New Graduates
Your MPharm prepared you clinically. Nothing in your education prepared you for the business of pharmacy. Reading this before you qualify — or in your foundation year — gives you a perspective on independent pharmacy practice that most pharmacists spend a decade learning the hard way.
Read before you qualify
🏛️
Pharmacy Educators & Policy Influencers
As a structured, GPhC-referenced, legally grounded account of what independent pharmacy management actually requires in 2026, this book is a credible resource for curriculum design, continuing education, and policy discussions about the future of community pharmacy.
Reference-quality resource

"Your vision of what your pharmacy can be, and the economics of how you get there, both depend on understanding what this book teaches. It has never been written before. It will not be irrelevant tomorrow."

How to get your copy

Available Now — Across the United Kingdom and Internationally

Where to Find the Book
  • Available through major online retail platforms — including Amazon UK and leading international booksellers
  • Selected independent bookstores across the United Kingdom and internationally
  • Available for order through pharmacy associations and professional development networks
  • Direct order enquiries via the author — see contact details below
  • E-book and digital formats available — contact for details

British Library: A legal deposit copy of this work has been submitted to the British Library, Boston Spa, Wetherby, in accordance with the Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003. The work is also available for submission to the five other legal deposit libraries of the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Publication Details
  • Title: The Practising Owner: Running an Independent NHS Community Pharmacy
  • Author: Onur Aykanat
  • Publication: First published in Türkiye, 2026; distributed in the United Kingdom
  • Format: A5, approximately 365 pages, 22 chapters + 9 appendices
  • Edition: First Edition 2026
  • Legal Deposit: British Library — submitted in accordance with the Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003
  • Jurisdiction: England. Specific regulatory and contractual references relate to NHS England and GPhC frameworks.

Note on figures: All NHS payment rates, regulatory thresholds, and legal references reflect the position as at 2026. Readers are advised to verify current rates against NHSBSA Drug Tariff and CPE guidance. See the full disclaimer in the book's copyright page.

Bulk Orders & Institutional Purchases

Pharmacy schools, professional associations, NHS ICBs, locum agencies, and pharmacy groups ordering 10 or more copies are eligible for special pricing. This is also an excellent CPD resource for pharmacy teams — contact us to discuss a structured team reading and workshop programme based on the book's 90-day framework.

Enquire About Bulk Orders

Order Your Copy.
Change Your Pharmacy.

For orders, bulk enquiries, speaking engagements, institutional licensing, or any question about the book — reach out directly. Onur Aykanat responds personally to every professional enquiry.

Author Onur Aykanat, BPharm
Mobile +1 912 601 15 12
Email eczonur@gmail.com
LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/onur-aykanat-85b09b30
Web onay.uk
What you get when you order:
  • 22 chapters covering every dimension of independent NHS pharmacy management
  • 9 professional appendices including 10 ready-to-use SOP templates
  • The 90-Day Transformation Plan with daily task calendar
  • 35-point GPhC self-inspection checklist
  • 14 HR and business form templates
  • The month-by-month UK Pharmacy Action Plan (Appendix J)
  • Full compliance with GPhC 2025/26, CPCF 2025/26, and UK employment law
  • Direct access to the author for professional enquiries
Order Now — Email the Author

Special pricing available for bulk and institutional orders