After reading the publication The Future of Community Pharmacy: Building a Sustainable Industry, by ATKearney; I was firstly left feeling low. However, I then sat down with a clear head and read the publication again. This time round I felt positive and uplifted. You may think this a surprise if you have read it! There is a summary version on the PSNC website. There is a lot of doom and gloom written! Reduced margins, multiples against independents; the report certainly favours multiples’ survival is greater, and on-line threats. All this resulting in closures of pharmacies.
Like I said, this time I felt positive. Key facts kept popping out at me, qoutes such as ‘Independent pharmacy is the backbone of the community’ , ‘Expertise’ , ‘Convenience’ and ‘Accessibility’. These facts certainly made me feel and re-establish my confidence that Pharmacy is still, and will carry on being, the centre of all communities. One of the highlights, was ATKearney’s report stating, that current and previous governments have acknowledged that pharmacy has a key role to play. This no doubt is what pharmacists have been crying out for a long time. It is only now, since the ageing population has come to light, that the government are ready to take action. Since the aim is to have a model of care that shifts from secondary to primary settings, and to promote prevention; pharmacy and pharmacists need to embrace this workload to show their vital play within the NHS. We need to step up our contribution towards the healthcare systems.
I certainly urge all pharmacists to read this report. I am hoping that you feel the same as I did the second time round. I am not saying that all is fine, and pharmacy will still continue to survive. What I am saying is that we must work towards a new role. We should be looking at approaching patient care as part of a multidisciplinary team, improving outcomes. We need to unite to build pharmacy as part of the patient pathway.
Now, I can hear you all screaming at me ‘How do we do this?’ … Firstly, I feel we need to look at the basics. Services are key drivers for us towards this new role. Delivery of outcomes is what will get us noticed and taken seriously. The key is to get out of the pharmacy and deliver direct to the community. Gone are the days where we could hide in the dispensary and the community come to us. We are battling against many hard to reach factors and barriers. One of the strongest arm for community pharmacy is that we can reach communities that others don’t or can’t reach!
Furthermore, it is evident in the report that independents are worse off for the future. It seems that efficiencies is what lets us down, and its that fact that eats into our margins. To survive we all need to work in collaboration. Lets create a virtual multiple. Imagine a unity of independents that could work from its natural strengths and deliver within a multiples budget. Even creating an on-line presence with unity. We all cater for the same community, so why not invest together and share the costs.
It is the time for pharmacy. Lets work in collaboration and give pharmacy the place it rightly deserves.
