The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 269 No 7227 p810-811
7 December 2002

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Letters to the Editor

Multiple pharmacies

Time to return community pharmacies to independents?

From Mr B. J. Hewitt, MRPharmS

Pharmacists, not just locums, have generally been exploited by multiple pharmacies for far too long. Only in recent months has this imbalance started to shift. As a profession, we have worked longer and longer hours, missed lunch on a daily basis, and suffered dark, back room working environments for poor financial reward. I believe that, in a time when bricklayers can earn up to £70,000 a year, a pharmacist is worth £30 an hour as a locum, with pay increases equivalent to those employed by multiples. If multiples claim this is impossible, then they should make it their business to look at why their income via the National Health Service is limited, and why no one is prepared to work as managers in their stores. If they cannot find pharmacists to open their stores at rates they are prepared to pay, they should give up their dispensing contracts to pharmacists who want the opportunity to run their own business.

The Journal itself suggested that we should not work for less than £19 an hour (PJ, 1 June, p750) yet Lloydspharmacy publicly states it will pay no more than £17 an hour. I would not work for either of these two ridiculously poor rates. It is a fact small villages on the edge of the city have been left with no pharmaceutical service, despite local pharmacists being available. We can only hope that the Office of Fair Trading report will come some way in addressing this appalling situation. It is also evident due to the increasing complaints by the general public to their primary care trusts that pharmacy's image is thus being tarnished.

The general public want and need pharmacists they can trust and continuity of care. Multiples cannot offer this. Perhaps they should consider returning pharmacy to individual pharmacists, selling off stores as franchises to individual pharmacists or groups of pharmacists. If a pharmacist has ownership of his premises more care will be taken with presentation, patient care, working conditions and, importantly, support staff morale. Pharmacy may then evolve from the loner's job it is at present, to having more pharmacists per store, allowing the planned extended roles to be fulfilled.

Ben Hewitt
Nottingham

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