**** 2014 UPDATE ****
Wouldn’t it be convenient if every GP surgery had a pharmacist?
Doesn’t it make sense that this should be the case?
Often, many GPs or pharmacists call me about opening, relocating or merging a pharmacy and GP. But it’s not that easy. You can’t simply open a pharmacy … you must apply. You can’t just relocate a pharmacy … you must apply. In each case it is a timely process. In each case you are not guaranteed for success.
Whilst it does seem natural for a pharmacy and GP surgery to be co-located it is not always possible.
Do you want to open a pharmacy in a surgery?
What is your experience of pharmacies in GP surgeries?
Have you thought about relocating your pharmacy?
Call Antony Boonen on 01252 302342 to discuss your situation.
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A significant minority of community pharmacies in England are now physically situated in GP surgeries. Some of these are community pharmacies that have relocated locally into the surgery, often when a surgery itself has relocated. Some of the surgery pharmacies are owned or co-owned by the GPs themselves. Some pharmacies in rural surgeries, usually only those fully owned by GPs, are also offering a doctor dispensing service to patients who do not qualify to use a community pharmacy for NHS dispensing due to where they live.
Whatever the situation, those who work in surgery pharmacies of all types tell me that the opportunities for professional cooperation and collaboration are usually considerably enhanced simply because face to face contact between professions is more easily achieved.
I have however in recent times been approached for advice by two different groups of GPs who had over the lease term of an in-surgery pharmacy become severely dissatisfied with various aspects of the in-surgery pharmacy service to their patients. Even when the GPs have no financial interest in the in-surgery pharmacy, patients tend to believe that the GPs have a responsibility for the pharmacy service, even when that is not the case, so GPs take such patient disquiet seriously.
Looking back on the two cases that I have been involved with, neither of which involved any element of GP pharmacy ownership, both situations would have benefited considerably from a more regular and more formal dialogue between the pharmacy tenants and the GP landlords. Unless in-surgery pharmacy owners and GPs regularly meet and talk, then either side can easily become distanced from and dissatisfied with the other.
For example GPs may be relatively unaware how hard some branded medicines have become to obtain until they hear it from their pharmacist or their patients directly. Another source of patient and GP dissatisfaction can be unexpected staff changes in the pharmacy staffing. Whilst over a period of time employed pharmacists are bound to seek career development by moving around, if GPs have formed a good working relationship with a surgery pharmacy manager, they will probably be unhappy about such a change, especially if they are not pre-alerted. If such pharmacy staff changes become too regular, GPs can give up on building a relationship with the pharmacy altogether and start dusting off the pharmacy lease agreement especially when it comes close to pharmacy lease renewal time!