The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 269 No 7227 p813
7 December 2002

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Letters to the Editor

Community pharmacy

The death of community pharmacy as we know it?

From Mr M. Stein, MRPharmS

A community pharmacist encounters a stranger and the following conversation ensues:

Good morning. How can I help?

Hi. How are you?

Fine thanks. No worries.

You haven't heard then?

Heard what?

They've started pharmacist-free dispensaries in hospitals.

You're joking!

No. King George Hospital, part of Barking, Havering and Redbridge Trust. The pharmacist visits the ward with the consultants, gives his professional input and the prescriptions and orders are sent to the hospital dispensary. Technicians dispense and checkers check. They are all trained, of course.

What about the final check? It's something I've always relied on and thought it was the most important check for the pharmacist to carry out.

Nope! You obviously didn't read the letter in the PJ where a spokesman from the legal department said that the pharmacist only had to carry out the professional check. To which he means, I suppose, drug suitability, dose, interactions and side effects profile. All the other checks can be carried out by trained technicians.

So will community pharmacies still have to have pharmacists on the premises?

Well, if you carry the hospital scenario to its logical conclusion, the answer must be no. General practitioners could employ, say, one or two pharmacists per practice to give their professional input and carry out the professional check. Then the prescription can be e-mailed or sent to a local pharmacy for dispensing by technicians and checking by checkers.

I suppose the big boys will save lots of money not having to employ pharmacists.

Yes, to begin with. But obviously the Government will reduce the dispensing fee since pharmacists' salaries will be taken out of the equation. It will have the last laugh.

But what about the sale of P items? Surely pharmacists will still be able to sell them?

No problem! As many as possible will be transferred to GSL (small packs will help here) and the manufacturers will employ a pharmacist to give his professional input at the formulation stage. They will also produce protocols for the sale of P medicines and it will be fairly straightforward for the checkers at the pharmacy to follow it with the customer.

So, if community pharmacy will not need pharmacists, what will happen to us?

Good question!

But surely the Society wouldn't and couldn't let that happen!

Well you know how busy they all are deciding what their future role should be, finding out the ethnicity of their members and deciding how many lay members should be on the Council — you know — the sorts of things they bother themselves with and what they are good at. Any way, they've never really helped you have they? Of course the inspectors might have some time on their hands. Those signs that used to be on medicines counters that said "only when the pharmacist is present" will be a thing of the past. Must dash, nice talking to you. Sorry it's a bit depressing.

Bye. Didn't catch your name. Hey! Don't forget your scythe!

Malcolm Stein
Hatfield, Hertfordshire

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