Opinion: It’s why we get out of bed

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As a practising pharmacist, the answer to my question “why?” is usually quite straightforward — it is because I want to help people feel better and to save lives.

When the Covid pandemic struck, it became much more frequent to hear it said that pharmacists are in the business of saving lives. Before then, it seemed we were all too modest to say so.

Yet although the day-to-day work of community pharmacy teams sometimes feels routine, that does not mean that our services are unimportant. On the contrary: quietly getting on with our work as healthcare professionals is absolutely vital to the health of the nation.

I think of this recent example from my own pharmacy – you will have similar stories of your own. A woman came in to see me after injuring herself on a piece of metal in her garden.

She had tried a GP and an urgent care centre but couldn’t access a tetanus vaccine. When she walked into my pharmacy, I was able to prescribe and administer the vaccine privately. A small act, but potentially life-saving. This is our ‘why’ as healthcare professionals. 

Having recently become chair of the National Pharmacy Association, I now approach the ‘why’ question from other angles too. Why do I and my fellow board members volunteer our time to improve the position of independent community pharmacies? 

It is because we believe things can be made better. I certainly would not have taken the NPA chairmanship if I felt that decline and eventual collapse is the inevitable path for our sector. 

For many contractors, I know  that this may sound like an optimistic view, given current pressures, but I genuinely believe that improvement is possible. That’s not to deny that times are incredibly hard for most pharmacies. 

The independent economic analysis of community pharmacy in England described a desperate financial situation, showing that 99 per cent of pharmacies had funding lower than their full economic cost. Things could get even worse, if funding doesn’t keep pace with rising costs in the years ahead. 

What can be done?

There is clearly an urgent need for the Government and NHS to invest sufficiently. The NPA is continuing to argue the case for a better deal that gives independent pharmacies a chance to fulfil their clinical potential and meet the needs of patients everywhere. We are clear that the recent encouraging words of policymakers, politicians and civil servants must be translated into tangible support for our sector.

We are also maintaining a high media profile across a range of healthcare issues, which helps strengthen the arm of Community Pharmacy England in future negotiations.

Meanwhile, pharmacy leaders across the sector should aim to reach a consensus on ideas for reform of the CPCF, with a focus on sustainability, affordability and supporting the Government’s strategic shifts and NHS 10-year plan. There are also things we can do in our own pharmacies to make ourselves more resilient.

Above all, we need to embrace digital technology, recognising that the expectations of patients are constantly evolving. Pharmacies must be progressive and modern, while staying true to our historic values as a personal, caring profession.

Many pharmacies, depending somewhat on the wealth demographics of their local communities, can also consider stepping up their private clinical offering.

At the height of the pandemic, I set up and ran a Covid-19 vaccination centre in Marlow, which became one of the largest of its kind in the UK. This helped me shift my business model towards the provision of new NHS and private services – travel health, ear consultations, weight loss consultations, and more in the pipeline, like phlebotomy.

‘Future pharmacy’

Our forthcoming ‘future pharmacy’ programme will enable NPA members to define their needs and embark confidently on the journey of private provision, deploying independent prescribing.

Community pharmacy has worked hard to establish itself as the front door to the NHS. Our future still lies at the heart of the NHS as an integrated service addressing NHS priorities. But the funding shortfall means that we also have to look to private income streams.

Finally, please make good use of the numerous resources the NPA already makes available to independents, to support your financial bottom line.