From Mrs S. R. Reader, MRPharmS
SIR,—Professor Nick Barber's reflections on community pharmacy in the 21st century make imaginative reading (PJ, January 1, p22) but I would like to describe another facet of his Brave New World.
It is New Year, 2050. Reform of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society has done much to reduce the exploitation of employee pharmacists so prevalent at the turn of the century. Its timely realisation that the majority of its members were no longer proprietors but employees of the corporate sector led to its direct intervention to halve the erosion of professional status by commercial interests. Modern pharmacists no longer toil for 50 hours a week or more in understaffed sweatshops with no meal breaks. They have the support and backing of adequate, well-trained staff, and benefit from the provision of regular study days, all of which enables them to utilise their professional skills and knowledge to the advantage of their patients. Last, but not least, they have sufficient leisure time and energy to enjoy the healthy lifestyle they advocate for their customers.
However, the future is not ours for the making. It is currently balanced between a Government concerned solely with purchasing its pharmaceutical services as cheaply as possible, and the interests of a few commercial giants, whose major considerations are to maximise profits and satisfy their shareholders.
S. R. Reader
Horley, Surrey