Analysis: Services for a song

It's time to put our own house in order behind closed doors. Playing these sort of tactics does not do the profession any good. If we are to negotiate appropriate funding for professional services, then it's high time there should be strong leadership and not to undercut each other. Free means there is no worth!

Richard Branson walked away from unrealistic bidding wars with the rail service - commercial sense will prevail.

The supermarkets are on a winner all the way to the bank... Free services get them customers through the doors who will spend large sums of monies on a large selection of products on a weekly basis.
Free services/products also gives them a very good chance to sign up people for prescription collection services...... Which will lead onto MUR & NMS revenue.
It will also give them precious data for their customer base, with which they can bombard people with more money off & free services vouchers .
Any company which has a competitive edge will & should use it. The supermarkets are clearly saving the NHS money. Why should the government offer to pay when it's already free?
Boots opened up a can of worms with their 500 free advantage card points (£5) when you sign up to their repeat collection service. Complaining about fairness and lack of commissioning will only get a response of " who cares".
This is just the tip of the iceberg. The threat isn't just to independents . Boots, Lloyds,rowlands etc are definitely not immune. Supermarkets could easily rule.

The free market reigns. Well done Asda, they are only doing what is available to any pharmacy contractor. They will attract the paying patient, why go to the GP when you can get Two inhalers for £7. It will be very interesting how the GP's are going get a handle on these patients.
Asda are trying to differentiate themsleves from other supermarkets and thus drive foot fall, it does not matter how they do it, everything is fair game.
And those that really want their inhalers will learn how to answer questions just like the facial hydrocortisone users
PGDs have thrown down a challenge to all pharmacy contractors, who will be brave enough to to take up the challenge?