The NHS Improvement Plan, launched last Thursday, builds on the 10-year reform process outlined in the 2000 NHS Plan and sets out priorities for the NHS in England until 2008. Key themes affecting pharmacy include control of entry, chronic disease management, NHS LIFT, prescribing, access to patient records, electronic transmission of prescriptions, training and recruitment.

Although the document gives the clearest indication yet of the Department of Health’s intentions for control of entry, the plan refers to only three of the four proposed exemptions the DoH outlined in its response to the OFT report. It says that from the end of the year it will be easier to establish new pharmacies intending to open more than 100 hours a week, operate wholly via mail order or the internet, or in one-stop primary care centres. But the fourth proposal outlined in the ‘balanced package of measures’ document – to allow new pharmacies to open in large shopping developments over 15,000 square metres floor space – is not mentioned

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The 5 year NHS Plan for Pharmacy was unveiled on 8 July, 2004.  Amongst other things it promised to make entry to an NHS pharmacy contract easier.

(10/7/04)

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Health secretary John Reid has taken over the control of the Government’s response to the OFT report on open access to pharmacy.

There were fears that the trade and industry secretary, Patricia Hewitt, would insist on the policy being geared towards competition. The OFT delivered its report to the DTI, which gave the initial response.

(20/7/04)

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Quotation from "Pharmacy Magazine", July 2004

"By the end of the year, the document says (The NHS Improvement Plan), it will be easier for new pharmacies to locate in one-stop primary care centres".

(23/7/04)