The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 270 No 7254 p849
21 June 2003

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Select Committee's report (PDF 185K)
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MPs say market must not control pharmacy services

National Health Service pharmacy regulations are inflexible and in need of reform, according to the House of Commons Health Select Committee. But the National Health Service must retain control over where pharmacy services are provided.

The select committee carried out an inquiry into pharmacy regulation and an Office of Fair Trading recommendation that all controls should be swept away because of concern that the OFT had failed to consider health needs. A report to Parliament says that the OFT proposal to leave professional services to be driven by commercial competition is unacceptable and could leave some of the most vulnerable communities with the greatest health needs without any local pharmacy services.

The committee concluded: "We are not convinced by the economic and competition arguments relied upon by the OFT to support its recommendation. While we would welcome measures that encouraged pharmacies to provide a higher quality service to patients, we feel that in order to deliver the best possible service to NHS patients, primary care trusts must retain the ability to plan the provision of local pharmacy services, which play an integral part in the delivery of health care to local communities. Deregulation which allows the market to decide where to provide any dispensing of NHS prescriptions would necessarily reduce the finances available for PCTs to plan the remaining NHS dispensing. We would not, therefore, support such deregulation."

Committee chairman David Hinchliffe said: "Anyone who has had contact with a good community pharmacy knows what a vital source of advice such a centre can be. Community pharmacies are increasingly a key provider within the NHS, a role that is likely to grow as time goes by. Pharmacists often freely give advice to customers which has substantial health benefits which in my view saves the NHS a lot of money."

Dr Gill Hawksworth, President of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, said: "It is an important development that the Health Committee has recognised the potential threat the OFT report would pose, if implemented, to the public's access to community pharmacies and to pharmacists' skills and expertise.

"The public currently benefits from access to 12,000 community pharmacies staffed by some 20,000 pharmacists — importantly, in places where people live, shop and work. These pharmacies provide invaluable access to medicines and expert advice on the high street, on housing estates, in shopping malls and in villages throughout the UK and are a crucial part of today's modern NHS. Convenient access to local community pharmacies is absolutely crucial for those who depend on them most and who may not be in a position to travel — mothers of young children, older people and those struggling on low incomes."

National Pharmaceutical Association chief executive John D'Arcy said: "We have consistently highlighted to Government and stakeholders the risks associated with playing fast and loose with the current arrangements. But we do recognise that the current system is not perfect and agree with the Health Select Committee that service improvements should be centred on giving primary care organisations greater flexibility in ensuring patients receive the high quality primary care that they expect and deserve."

Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee chief executive Sue Sharpe added: "It is clear that the OFT report does not command any significant support. The support we have in Westminster among MPs is tremendous and, if the Department of Trade and Industry's 'balanced package' is not sensible we will continue to fight until they get it right."

The select committee also highlighted the opportunity offered by the new pharmacy contract currently under consideration.

"Any reforms to the regulatory framework for the provision of pharmacy services should be in close concert with the negotiations for a new payment system for pharmacies currently being carried out by the Department, and must fully take account of the wider role of pharmacies within the bigger picture of the NHS and of this country's health needs, something we feel the OFT report has singularly failed to do," its report concluded.

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