The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 272 No 7299 p607
15 May 2004

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· Pharmacy education
· Prostate problems
· Indemnity insurance
· The register
· The Journal
· The profession
· Energy expenditure

Letters to the Editor

The profession

Remote supervision; absent profession?

From Dr M. S. Sodhi, MRPharmS

Recent events, including the deregulation of over-the-counter medicines prices and its impact on small pharmacy businesses, have confirmed my opinion that our profession has no foresight and therefore constantly sells itself short. Consequently we are devalued to such an extent that graduates are frequently abandoning pharmacy in favour of other professions where there is job satisfaction and quality of life. Now, it seems that the new system for remote pharmacy supervision (PJ, 27 March, p377) has the potential to threaten one of the remaining benefits of being a pharmacist: the ability to work as a locum.

Remote supervision will begin as a service for remote areas, but it is likely that this cheaper system will become increasingly mainstream. This idea, cloaked in the virtue of providing extra services for a small number of rural regions in the UK, is another nail in the coffin of our profession. I defy anyone to achieve rapport with a patient and make a comprehensive assessment of visible symptoms over a blurry webcam image. I suggest if there are no alternatives for rural areas and remote supervision is implemented, then we will open the door to the future outsourcing of pharmacy services overseas.

Monsheel Sodhi
High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire

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