The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 279 No 7474 p438
20 October 2007

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Letters to the Editor

Pricing

“Category M” price changes

From Mr H. S. Chera, MRPharmS

I am a director of a small independent group of pharmacies. I have just seen the “Category M” price changes and am disgusted this has been allowed to happen. Independent pharmacies rely on a steady cash flow to enable them to operate in an ever changing environment where more and more demands are being placed upon pharmacists.

Most contractors have had to refurbish and refit premises to provide private consultation rooms. The long hours most of us already work have been added to by ever increasing administration and paperwork surrounding enhanced services, fitness-to-practise declarations, the threat of 100-hour pharmacies to the viability of our business, and training evenings and weekends which we undertake in our own time and at our own expense.

My average working week is 75 hours.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has just raised retention fees and I understand that premises registration fees are also due for a large hike. Just what does the Department of Health think it will achieve by cutting the only route of profit we have left in this business? If it wants to remove purchase profit then why not review the dispensing fee first? 90p is ridiculous.

Try finding a locum who works for less than £23 per hour — one cannot because they are holding contractors to ransom. Most of the time there are not any available because new, unnecessary 100-hour pharmacy contracts have resulted in a locum shortage — particularly during holiday periods.

I am totally disenchanted with pharmacy in this country and wish I had not chosen it as my career path. We have no support, voice or say in any matters that concern our profession.

The only bodies available to us are the National Pharmacy Association or the Society which, to be honest, only seem to be available when we are reprimanded for making a single dispensing error out of tens of thousands of prescriptions dispensed correctly. They never give us a pat on the back when we stop dozens of prescribing errors made by GPs on a daily basis.

Is anybody listening?

Harnek Singh Chera
Coventry, West Midlands

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