Unprecedented challenges
Community pharmacy faces an unprecedented number of
interacting challenges at the moment, said SUE SHARPE, chief executive,
Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee.
In the skill mix area, the main issue is delegating
the routine dispensing role to free up community pharmacists’ time for
other roles. The PSNC has concerns over this, particularly that the value
of pharmacists’ input into the safe and effective supply of medicines
is not lost.
Another issue is the Office of Fair Trading’s recent
announcement over control of entry. Some of the multiples, including Superdrug
and Tesco, are leading the drive to remove control of entry, she said.
The PSNC will be working closely with the National Pharmaceutical Association
to ensure that a well-organised case was delivered that demonstrated a
balance between competition and proper regulatory structure to ensure
that community pharmacies remain well-placed to deliver patient’s needs,
she said. “The OFT initiative was not a Department of Health initiative
and my understanding is that it was not welcomed by the Department,” she
said.
The PSNC does not expect that the Government will
want to discuss the new contract before next year. In the meantime, the
PSNC will be holding focus group meetings to discuss which roles should
be in the contract and which paid via local pharmaceutical services. She
cautioned that pharmacy must not lose sight of its core role in managing
the supply chain of medicines.
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