The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 270 No 7236 p215
15 February 2003

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Numark launches lobbying campaign against OFT report

Numark has asked all its 1,550 members to lobby their Members of Parliament over the Office of Fair Trading pharmacy report.

All Numark members have been sent details of their MPs, along with constituency surgery times and advice on how to lobby. They have also received an outline of the main shortcomings of the report and the local issues abolishing National Health Service contract controls will raise.

Numark is campaigning through pharmacies and local newspapers, with over 1.5 million leaflets that explain the threat to local pharmacies, as well as window posters and car stickers. The leaflets include a tear-off strip for customers to complete and which will be collected by pharmacies and sent to MPs to show the level of public support.

Numark's managing director, David Wood, said: "The OFT's recommendation to abolish the control of entry regulations has sent serious shockwaves through independent community pharmacy. We will fight hard to show the Government that the report is flawed, its recommendation misguided and if implemented will pose a serious threat to the provision of pharmacy based community health care to those that need it most."

Mr Wood added that the possible savings quoted in the report are questionable both in their achievability and accuracy.

The Numark campaign is also open to non-Numark pharmacies.