Retailers eye petrol forecourt pharmacies

The convenience argument has limits. We could put pharmacies on every street corner, that would be convenient, but wouldn't be sustainable.

The path of least resistance is not necessarily the best or most rewarding option in the long term. If we are talking about using pharmacy to address the major public health challenges, how could it be professional to put the pharmacy next to the booze, fags and high fat, salt, sugar snacks?

Convenient, high footfall locations might have mass appeal, but how can you offer complex pharmaceutical care if you've only got the most superficial of relationships? Independents in particular have deep(er) relationships with their patients, which can lead to more meaningful interactions/interventions with patients and customers. These are quality interactions, not necessarily quantity.

How can we hope to build inter-professional respect for the role of pharmacy when we don't even respect our own professionalism?
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couldn't agree with you more Mike. Pharmacy, where is it heading and where is the professionalism, this is being slowly eaten away with these conceptsand silly propositions

Can you just imagine the petrol forecourt clogged up with people bringing in scripts for dispensing. There would certainly be a few fisticuff arguments going on.

I certainly do agree with AA, in that the supermarket chains should set up in their petrol forecourts.

maybe we could offer a free litre of petrol for anyone who agrees to enrol on nms and a further litre on completion

You might be joking, but there is a pharmacy offering collection of completed scripts from a vending machine to only those patients that agree to sign up for an MUR!

And I'm not joking.

I don't know what the big deal is as drive through pharmacies were in place in the 1990's in England years ago and if it meets the access needs of some patients then it may be a niche market. Where is the harm?

Dont be so precious...