The Department of Health's draft new pharmacy strategy, which was promised last autumn, is awaiting attention from the Minister of State for Health (Mr John Denham).
At the Labour Party conference in Bournemouth on September 29, Mr Denham told the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's head of professional and scientific support (Mr Roger Odd): "I realise the importance of this document and it will be with you shortly."
Mr Denham said that the paper was on his desk and that he would give it his attention as soon as he could do so.
Mr Denham was one of a number of visitors to a joint pharmacy stand at the Conference exhibition. Other visitors to the stand included the Secretary of State for Health (Mr Frank Dobson), Ms Tessa Jowell (Minister for Public Health) and Lord Hunt (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health).
The stand, jointly hosted by the Society, the National Pharmaceutical Association, the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee and the Company Chemists Association, had on it a number of pharmacists who were there to give advice to delegates on medicines and minor ailments in order to promote the value of community pharmacy.
The conference was also used to launch a new document "Right up your street", which explains the contribution that community pharmacists make to health care and to the National Health Service.
Visitors to the stand were able to enter a competition to guess the number of tablets in a carboy. Entrants also completed questionnaires on pharmacy services. Many visitors are reported to have commented on the excellence of their local pharmacies.