The summer holidays are long gone, children are back to school, and we are inundated with flu and covid vaccinations, whilst selling out of headlice products. It’s also the time of year which is dominated by conferences and awards events.
Social media has been buzzing with all the photos of everyone enjoying themselves, sharing learnings and challenges, and looking very glittery and glamourous. I can’t keep up! A couple of weeks ago we had the final main event with the show of all shows, The Pharmacy Show, though there are still a few other events all the way into November.
In other news I notice that Jhoots is in a very difficult predicament. It all feels very similar to the LloydsPharmacy debacle a couple of years ago. Branches closed for days on end with very little communication, patients not sure what’s going on, staff not sure what’s going on. Staff and locums not getting paid.
Read more: Jhoots pharmacies ‘named and shamed’ for minimum wage breach
There’s two parts to this, without a doubt funding has played a huge role in the situation these companies found themselves in. However, both companies made some big acquisitions before the financial difficulty that they were in, was shared. So, were the acquisitions poor business decisions?
In my locality various independent owners (some first-time buyers) have bought the old Lloyds Pharmacies and I have to say they have turned them around, giving neighbouring pharmacies a run for their money. They were left in a real state, so it’s been hard work for the new owners, but quite impressive in terms of how they’ve turned things around.
Maybe that was the plan for Jhoots, but unfortunately things haven’t gone to plan, if that was the case.
Read more: Kinnock: Jhoots services are falling ‘well below the mark’
I have to say that for larger companies both medium sized and large the reputational damage that these groups have caused to community pharmacy in local systems is almost inexcusable.
I can almost understand an independent owner not really knowing where to turn or what to do when things are challenging and they feel as though they are drowning, but the bigger companies have a head office and a structure that should be able to handle critical situations.
Community pharmacy always talks about local communities and how as a profession we are safe to offer more services as patient safety is key. By not communicating and telling people what’s going on, closing with no notice etc, we are doing the total opposite. We are letting down the local community and putting patients at risk.
Read more: Exclusive: Pharmacy bodies unite to meet with Kinnock tomorrow
The responsibility of a superintendent (one that I would never want) is huge, but it is one that the person in post has signed up to. This means making big decisions and helping the rest of the senior leaders in the business understand that you have to do what’s right.
Now we will never know the conversations that happen behind closed doors, but we can all see the impact that this is having on reputation of community pharmacy, the local communities, the staff working in these pharmacies and workload for neighbouring pharmacies.
I really hope that there is some reflection by the leaders in the company and from all pharmacy owners watching on the sidelines on what they would do differently.