This legal system is open to abuse

Well said! We know all this and yet no action is being taken. DoH ans PSNC previously stated that a moratorium could not be enforced as consultation was necessary beforehand. Well, the consultation phase is over so there is nothing stopping a moratorium coming into effect immediately until new legislation is finalised for Control of Entry. Unfortunately, pharmacy is so low down on everyone's agenda we could see the 100 hour clause remaining for some time to come!!

Though this editorial makes an uncomfortable reading, it confirms the simple greed of the business world. Pharmacy is not seen as a profession hence it is exposed to the phenomenon of the survival of the fittest struggles. The 100-hr rule has been exploited by many pharmacy business owners as a short cut to the "NHS juice" However, when it became a bit expensive to run due to overhead costs especially pharmacist wages, more pharmacy schools were set up to meet the needs and more, of these new 100-hr pharmacies and other supermarket extended opening hours pharmacies. There is now more or less a glut of pharmacists and opening 100-hr pharmacies is a quick way to access NHS income with a relatively cheap labour force due to an over supply of pharmacists, who now literarily scrambling for work, little wonder why the GP's would not take advantage as well after all other pharmacy business owners have done so with impunity. Businesses have leapfrogged each other to access lucrative GP scripts and big pharmacy chains have taken up prime GP premises at extortionate rents only to start balancing the books by working staff to the extreme whilst stifling wages. In similar bullish manner they out manoeuvred smaller/first time buyer pharmacist by offering retiring pharmacist or pharmacy business owners mouth watering amount for goodwill that have been grossly over valued by agents intent on making the highest possible commission on sales. Buying a pharmacy has been a bidding game for a long time but with the 100-hr contract devoid of requirement for bidding and a more affordable pharmacist work force on one hand and in the alternative, disillusioned employee and Locum pharmacists are either partnering with GP in more innovative and patient centred service provision not usually attributable to pharmacy shop/stores, or clubbing together to open 100-hr pharmacies independently or within GP practices as a means of achieving independence of professional life. We must face the reality that pharmacy practice is changing from a business oriented healthcare provider to a more patient focused healthcare provider and operating within close proximity of GP surgery is integral to achieving the best for patients. Albeit, how this is achieved is a matter of "Dog eat Dog".

What is the problem we operate in a capitalist system where everybody is trying to maximise their profit, including GPs, and governed by rules set by the DoH. . For example big pharma is trying to manipulate the european market under guise of patient care to retain as much profit as they can; good luck to them. In the USA Pfizer are offering direct supply of Lipitor to patients why? they are trying to keep any remaining profit from the drug when generic wipeout hits. The problem pharma with DTP schemes is that demand is not even distrubuted through out the country, and their is a significant private prescription market which only pharmacy knows about. Modern manufacturing techniques require extremely accurate forcasting of demand, add the PCT medicine management teams advisers, MHRA licensing division, Eu Directives into the mix then it should no suprise that forecasting is wildly out. Exporting of medicines is not illegal and if Pharma is to believed then when importation was the problem what were doing with all that surplus stock, not supply the UK or did they export it?.
Pharmacy has move over to just in time supply as the contract has squeezed costs no one wants to hold more stock than necessary so push the the burden stock levels to wholesalers, when there were multiple wholesaler supplier of the same stock there was contingency in the system, DTP took this out and we are all reliant on the accuracy of the manufacturers forecast...best of luck
The DoH Chief Pharmacist must bear the responsibility for the 100 hr pharmacy game, after all didn't anybody in the hallowed halls of the DoH act ready and work through what they put into legislation. Every Community pharmacist knew what would happen and everybody has exploited the legislation, even those multiples who are currently moaning. If thay had a parcticing community pharmacist at these discussions then would the 100 hr issue be with us now I think not.
Capitalsim is great and if you think owning a 100 hr pharmacy is the way forward do not hold back apply now and get, may be the standards you set will put the competition out of business leading to bigger profits
The rules are written if profitable export as much as you can and open as many 100 hr pharmacies as quick as you can and make money.