The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 273 No 7320 p514
9 October 2004

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· Pharmacy education
· Primary care
· Community pharmacy
· Technicians
· Acute diverticulitis
· Oxygen
· Dispensing errors
· Charitable donations
· Returned medicines
· BPC
· Blood-brain barrier
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Letters to the Editor

Oxygen

“Wait and see” attitude not good enough

From Mr. D. P. Ferguson, MRPharmS

There must be other oxygen contractors with 100 or more sets who, like us, are extremely anxious about the fast approaching day when their supply contract ceases. Will there be any compensation for obsolete assets, loss of profits, redundancies etc? And, if so, will it be adequate? Will there be any new clinical service functions offered to us? Will we be able to sub-contract the delivery of cylinders from the new regional oxygen supplier? The answer we get from the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee or primary care trust is “wait and see”. In the meantime, we are expected to carry on delivering a full service, accepting new patients and increasing our set holding on this basis.

We are currently 10 spare sets short of a comfortable margin (10 per cent extra to those out on loan) and, naturally enough, we are reluctant to invest in new equipment which will not be required seven months from now and for which we might receive inadequate compensation or no compensation at all — the NHS track record for compensating loss of business is not good. Our PCT has suggested that we direct patients to other oxygen contractors in the area. They, of course, will be no more enthusiastic than we are to take on new patients (for the same reasons) and it is wholly unreasonable to expect any current spare capacity to last through the forthcoming winter.

The Department of Health has had more than enough time to sort out a planned exit for oxygen contractors. It is wholly unreasonable for them to expect us to provide full services right up to the last minute without adequate compensation and patients will inevitably suffer this winter as the service is wound down.

D. P. Ferguson
Managing Director, Chave and Jackson Ltd, Hereford

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