The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 278 No 7456 p706
16 June 2007

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• Retention fees
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Letters to the Editor

Retention fees

What is a “substantial” rise?

From Mr P. R. Breame, MRPharmS

So, we are faced with a “substantial rise in retention fee”, announced by Hemant Patel at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s annual general meeting on 16 May (PJ, 26 May, p624). Just what sort of rise is substantial? Twenty per cent? Fifty per cent? One hundred per cent? More? It may have escaped the Society’s notice but previous rises, well above the rate of inflation, along with the introduction of continuing professional development, have led a considerable number of pharmacists, formerly working one or two days a week, to “hang up their boots”. How will this rise affect that situation further?

The dwindling pool of locums resulting from this exodus has put considerable pressure (and stress) on community pharmacists requiring additional resources, or even a day off. Service levels have suffered in many pharmacies as prescription volumes rise to record levels, companies put pressure on their employees to achieve maximum medicines use reviews and new systems and technologies are introduced. And what will happen if the enhanced services for which community pharmacy leaders are campaigning become available?

Already the (not inconsiderable) bill for retention fees has to be paid in January, on pain of expulsion. Will this be the same for the inflated demand, or will the Society move into the 21st century and allow us to pay our fees, like nearly all other bills we pay, by direct debit or quarterly? The Society needs to consider the many pharmacists on the Register who are not among high earners and still only pay lower rates of tax. Everyone finds bills just after Christmas difficult to pay and the fee demand is bad timing to say the least.

Perhaps Mr Patel can give us an insight as to how he may be able to address these concerns.

Paul Breame
Little Clacton, Essex

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