January 2002 issue Pharmacy Today magazine

UNANIMOUS OPPOSITION

Pharmacists are sending a steady stream of submissions to the Pharmaceutical Society voicing opposition to the government's plans for pharmacy ownership.

By mid-January, and despite the Christmas break, 79 had been sent in - 45 from non-proprietors, and all against the proposed changes.

Society chief executive Dr Joan Baas said the key points in the submissions are:

• A lack of obvious benefits for the public.
• Why is ownership being changed when the current system works well?
• The proposals will likely worsen the current workforce shortage.

A significant proportion of respondents had worked in the UK under open, licensed ownership. The overriding view was that British pharmacy offered "a low level of advice and clinical interaction and professional standards are compromised," Joan Baas said.

She says the number, quality, and depth of submissions reflects the profession's degree of concern.

The Pharmacy Guild is now touring the country with a roadshow to encourage debate on ownership and the new contract.

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