From Mr I. B. Waite, MRPharmS
SIR,—I refer to the letter from John Thompson ("Referral insult", PJ August 21, p275) and his erroneous assumption that the Leicester scheme (where GPs refer patients to pharmacies to make over-the-counter purchases) is intended to downgrade pharmacy and allow others to do our job for us. First of all, there are no "powers that be", to which he frequently refers. These referral forms were formulated by pharmacists and general practitioners working together to introduce a mechanism to encourage patients to self-medicate for self-limiting minor ailments and to help break the cycle of re-consultation. Thus, when a patient is given a referral form they then realise that they could have consulted a pharmacist in the first place and it is hoped that they will subsequently do so, thus reducing the numbers of general practitioner consultations and increasing our over-the-counter business — both of these sequellae would appear to be in line with Mr Thompson's aspirations. From the limited feedback obtained so far, 79 per cent of GPs who have used the forms felt they would encourage self-medication in the future. Of course, this process is only of interest to those who are not exempt from National Health Service levies and we can all agree with Mr Thompson that allowing us to supply these items at NHS expense to exempt patients is an ideal to which we can all aspire. Nevertheless let us not decry any small attempt to move things in the right direction.
Ian Waite
Gallowtree Gate, Leicester