New pharmacy group for independents to be born
Formation of a new Independent Pharmacy Federation to represent almost half of the UK's community pharmacy contractors is imminent. A meeting
has been set for 5 October to agree on aims and objectives for the fledgling
organisation and to start work towards a constitution.
One of the prime movers behind the new organisation, Royal Pharmaceutical
Society Council member Graham Phillips, said:“The independent pharmacist
species is in decline and it could be terminal.This matters.”
Independently owned pharmacies are now a minority among contractors, representing
48 per cent of contractors in England
.
Mr Phillips said:“Unless we do something now,we will lose critical
mass and this would lead to a spiral of decline.”
He indicated that membership of the new group might not be restricted
to pharmacy owners. Locum pharmacists who consider themselves to be independent
might also be allowed to join in their own right.
A chief aim of the planned new group will be to develop an information
base to support independent pharmacies.
“A key thing that is missing is an information base for decisions,”
said Noel Baumber, an independent contractor from Lincolnshire and another
leading member behind the new group. “The Pharmaceutical Services
Negotiating Committee has been taken over by the Company Chemists Association
and, in my opinion, does not care about independents any more.”
Others involved in the development of the new group include Dev Shah,
who owns a group of 22 pharmacies, and Lancashire pharmacist Fin McCaul.
The planned group is currently being supported by wholesaler Mawdsleys.
Mr Phillips said that Nucare, Numark and Avicenna will also be approached
to ensure that the organisation is representative, rather than dominated
by any one group. |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal
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