When Royal College of General Practitioners chair Professor Kamila Hawthorne pointed out that pharmacists must not be seen as “GPs on the cheap”, there was much gnashing of teeth in the pharmacy press. She was also right to say that we should not be pushed to work beyond our competence. 

So, you may be thinking, it’s back to dispensing and selling hairspray then? Absolutely not. I want to see community
pharmacy as a proactive public health network tackling the UK’s obesity crisis while using our prescribing skills to manage the nation’s long-term conditions, treating to target following NICE protocols.

I’m not a GP on the cheap; I’m a maxi-pharmacist practising at the top of my licence releasing GP colleagues to deal with the clinical complexities for which they – and only they – have the requisite skills. (I don’t see myself doing digital rectal examinations in my consultation room any time soon!)

While it is true that some GPs say disobliging things about us from time to time, the reverse is equally true. It’s about time we grew up and made the most of the upcoming opportunities, which MUST include working much more closely with GPs … not as subservient beings but as clinical equals with complementary skills. Our professionalism demands no less.

Graham Phillips

Manor Pharmacy Group