The huge fuss over a high street pharmacy charging nearly £30s for a morning after pill, when the medicine can be bought for under £6 pounds. What professional provides a fifteen to twenty-minute consultation for less? If you go to an optician even with a voucher it will still cost you £10 and the glasses you will purchase can be bought for under £5 unless they are designer yet prices start from £40. This is verified by the fact that reading glasses can be bought even in a pound shop and some last me longer than my prescription ones.
The key problem here is there is a post code lottery pricing structure across the UK, as there is with prescription charges. Inequality is the key issue.
Pharmacy is being told to develop services to help to compensate for the loss of revenue in the dispensing services, yet if we charge for our services we are chastised.
I also read with interest that a leading sexual health doctor thinks the pharmacy consultations are not necessary. This follows a swathe of attacks on distance selling pharmacies for their prescribers not recording their prescribing decisions and keeping robust records and their services being curtailed.
If pharmacists are ever to be valued, then they need to fight. I have just had my teeth polished by a hygienist and it cost me £40 and I was out in less than 20 minutes.
The key is to treat the patients with respect and not judge, value peoples time.