The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 277 No 7425 p541
4 November 2006

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Nucare members struggle since control of entry change

Many independent pharmacies do not find it financially viable to open on Saturdays, Nucare has pointed out in its response to the Department of Health’s review of pharmacy control-of-entry reforms.

“ Access for the mobile population has increased,” Nucare says. “However, access for some local communitities, particularly the deprived and the elderly, has reduced.”

The organisation also argues that, despite a greater choice of pharmacies for customers in urban areas, many neighbourhood pharmacies have reduced the range of products and services to counter the financial pressures created by increased competition.

Nucare also raised the issue of primary care trusts being unable to use their discretion to stop applications that threaten the local pharmacy network since the introduction of “automatic exemptions”.