The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 270 No 7250 p709
24 May 2003

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National Pharmaceutical Association (www.npa.co.uk)

Pharmacy must not subsidise NHS

Primary care trusts must not be allowed to use community pharmacy as a means of subsidising National Health Service building developments, the National Pharmaceutical Association says.

The NPA has published a resource pack for local pharmacy leaders to help them argue the case for maintaining the existing pharmacy network as and when general practitioner surgeries are relocated into one-stop centres and other developments.

Changes in the location of GP premises will have a huge impact on the pharmacy network, the NPA warns. PCTs will have considerable freedom to decide how they will deal with community pharmacies in relation to planned developments. The NPA's concern is that pharmacies could be viewed as a means of generating income for new developments by charging them retail rents. They should be treated as a clinical services just like GP or dental practices, said Georgina Craig, the NPA's head of service development.

"The choices they make will depend on local relationships and local pharmacy leaders' ability to demonstrate and persuade key individuals that working collaboratively with the profession to build a sustainable network of pharmacies in all neighbourhoods will contribute to health gain for the local community," she said.