Control of entry: winning the peace
The decisions by the Scottish Parliament and the National Assembly for Wales to reject deregulation
of control of entry for community pharmacies, as recommended by the Office of Fair Trading, will
be welcomed by most pharmacists in those countries as bringing an end to a long period of uncertainty.
In England, the Department of Health and the Department of Trade and Industry have indicated
that they want to see "a balanced package of measures" introduced that will open up the market
without completely destabilising it, something foreshadowed by the pharmacy plan.
Community pharmacy has clearly made a mark here, even if the final result is not yet assured.
Lobbying by pharmacy groups at a national level has helped but it has been the vast groundswell
of support for local pharmacies that has tipped the balance. Many parliamentarians have reported
high levels of concern among their constituents about the potential effects of the OFT report
and local newspapers have been full of stories about the presentation of petitions. Community
pharmacy, long the unsung hero of primary care, has shown that it does act in the interests of
its customers and that the public recognises this.
This is not to say that we can sink back to the status quo. There are certainly areas relating
to control of entry, particularly concerning out-of-hours and out-of-town issues that need addressing.
One unexpected problem brought up by the OFT report is that of dispensing by doctors. Deregulation
could have led to a free-for-all with doctors effectively leapfrogging pharmacies themselves.
When even the British Medical Association says that this is a argument it no longer wants to
have, it is time that a proper agreement (so long in the wings) was finalised on this matter.
Sensibly, it seems that any decisions about amending control of entry will take place alongside
negotiations for the new community pharmacy contracts being drawn up for England, Wales and Scotland.
It would be helpful if the discussions about reimbursement for generic medicines were included
in this, too.
Local pharmacists and their representative bodies have done themselves proud. They have crystallised
the support that they long knew they had from the communities they serve. It would be tempting
to give up now, but pharmacies and their customers must keep up the pressure until the full details
of the Government's proposals are clear. With a sensible approach to amending, not scrapping,
control of entry, pharmacy will be in a position to win the peace. Back to Top
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