News: Scottish pharmacists astonished by OFT

The Pharmaceutical Journal Vol 267 No 7169 p495-500
13 October 2001

Scottish pharmacists astonished by OFT

Representatives of community pharmacists throughout Scotland are astonished by the announcement of the Office of Fair Trading’s inquiry into the provision of pharmacy services, according to the Scottish Pharmaceutical Federation.

Frank Owens, chairman of the Scottish Pharmaceutical General Council said: “The OFT seems to believe that community pharmacy is part of the retail sector and, by implication, not primarily a health care provider. The vast majority of pharmacies in Scotland receive their income not from retailing but from providing National Health Service pharmaceutical services.”

Mr Owens said that the pharmacy investment in the health services in Scotland was in the region of £350m. “If the current stability is removed from community pharmacy, this investment, which the NHS enjoys at marginal costs, will be at serious risk,” he said.

Concerned at what they see as the arbitrary nature of the OFT’s announcement, the SPGC and the SPF are jointly writing to request an urgent meeting with Scottish Health Minister Susan Deacon.

Ian Johnstone, SPF chairman said: “The case for controlling the location of pharmacies is stronger than ever. The principle of rational distribution of services, whether they be pharmaceutical, medical or otherwise, still holds strong. Proliferation and unnecessary duplication of services will only squander scarce NHS resources, destabilise the existing pharmacy infrastructure and positively discourage investment in future expansion of services, all leading to a poorer service to patients.”

See News feature, p501