Lloyds Pharmacy, the AAH community pharmacy chain, has joined the major pharmaceutical bodies in opposing Superdrug's report calling for a free-for-all contest over National Health Service dispensing contracts and medicines prices (PJ, September 11, p370). Lloyds has gone so far as to call the report irresponsible.
Mr Andrew Murdoch (director of pharmacy, Lloyds) told The Journal on September 14: "Superdrug's report stands to have a catastrophic effect on the future of community pharmacy and those that most depend on the service. The issue should not be about the abolition of contract limitation, but the sensible and rational distribution of pharmacies that will allow easy access to health care in the community."
Mr Murdoch said that the removal of controls over the issue of new NHS dispensing contracts would inevitably destabilise the pharmacy market.
"We would witness the clustering of pharmacies around surgeries, more presence on the high street and a plethora of contracts in out-of-town superstores," he said. "This would suck primary health care out of the community and destroy the local pharmacy health care infrastructure. Those that depend on the service the most — the elderly, mothers with young families without transport and the low income family — will be the ultimate victims of this irresponsible strategy.
"It is worth reflecting that over the past decade or so we have seen the demise of the local butcher, baker and grocer, yet Superdrug seems intent to launch a campaign to accelerate this trend still further. This seems to fly in the face of Government policy in other areas, such as urban regeneration and transport."
Mr Murdoch said that high street stores, such as Superdrug would reap the benefits of the abolition of contract limitation by obtaining contracts for all their stores. The consequences for local pharmacies would be severe. Many would face closure, which would have a devastating effect on the community.