1 December 2003
Inspection go-ahead for patient groups
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society is urging pharmacists to co-operate with representatives of the new Patient and Public Involvement Forums who will be entitled to enter and inspect pharmacy, dental and GP practices.

New Patient Forums regulations come into force on December 1.

The PPI forums are composed of local people who act on behalf of patients and the public. Among their primary roles is to make reports and recommendations on the range and day-to-day delivery of health services.

Individual PPIs will set their own inspection criterion, which may take the form of a regular inspection or could be in response to a patient complaint. David Pruce, RPSGB director of practice and quality improvement, believes that visits are likely to focus on quality of service provision from the patients’ point of view.

NPA opts for ‘gap analysis’ in its control of entry response

Pharmacy applications should be granted on the basis of service adequacy, measured against a "gap analysis" of existing service provision, the NPA has said in its response to the Government’s control of entry proposals.

It warns that the routine granting of applications that will inevitably flow from broadly drafted exemptions could lead in the short term to an over – and unnecessary – provision of services, frustrating PCTs’ ability to plan local
service provision.

Subsequent contraction of the market – which will only support a finite number of pharmacies – will result in a skewed distribution of pharmacies, and in extreme cases reduced access, the NPA believes.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society is asking for reassurance that patients will not be left with reduced access to pharmacies as a result of the Government’s proposals. The Society considers people living in "less commercially attractive areas" to be most at risk, and highlights the elderly and low-income patients as groups most likely to be affected.

Pharmacist prescribing finds GP support

Three in four GPs believe that pharmacists should be able to prescribe certain medication, a survey by Lloydspharmacy has revealed.

Almost all of those polled think they have a role in offering lifestyle and smoking cessation advice.

The poll of 100 GPs revealed one in five of the patients they see could have gone to their pharmacist first with their query. National statistics support this, suggesting nearly a quarter of a million GP appointments are wasted each week by patients seeking treatment for minor ailments.

OFT extends AAH and EAP merger enquiry

The OFT has asked AAH Pharmaceuticals to withdraw its merger notice for its proposed acquisition of Norwich wholesaler East Anglian Pharmaceuticals,
to give it more time to consider the merger.

Under the terms of the deal, EAP will become a wholly owned subsidiary of AAH and continue to trade under its existing name with the same infrastructure and personnel.

An OFT spokesperson said: "We asked them to withdraw the notice to give us additional time to continue with third party enquiries and they were happy to do so. We hope to complete our examination by December 4 but if necessary we will continue beyond that point."