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?

Perhaps the 100-hour pharmacies set up inside supermarkets could do a minor relocation to their petrol forecourts. Then they would have no excuse for trying to avoid doing their inconvenient turn at bank holiday rotas. They seem to always argue with PCTs when directed to open, citing costs of security when having to open their dispensaries and the rest of their supermarket has to remain closed - grrrrrrrr.

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

I think that what makes pharmacy sustainable is its flexibility, capacity to think out of the box and have no limits which is all about 'liberating the NHS', my reaction is how enterprising and improving access to medicines and healthcare.

Lets give it our support and see how it goes!

GD

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

This subject has a thread on The Pharmacy Forum that may be worth a read

http://www.pharmacy-forum.co.uk/retail-pharmacy-forum/6167-drive-thru-pharmacy-opens-northampton-spread-mcpharmacy.html

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.

sad isn't it? our profession has hit an all time low.In the last week I've had an area manager telling his staff to get the whip out (i presume on me) to increase mur figures, a regional office ringing a branch to convey a message to me that I was under contract to deliver at least two murs as well as check with 100% accuracy 650 prescriptions and all this while suffering the indignity of being forced to accept pay cuts. The Elizabeth Lee case has obviously taught us nothing.
The strongest motivation being used on us (and I must also sadly include fellow pharmacists) by these bullies is fear.

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?

What has that to do with whether you pick up your script from a local chemist, supermarket, post office pharmacy, internet pharmacy or drive through pharmacy......absolutely none!

Dont be so precious...