“Distance Selling Pharmacies should provide the uninterrupted provision of essential services during opening hours to persons anywhere in England who request those services; and“
~ The National Health Service (Pharmaceutical and Local Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations
Regulation 25 (2)(a), which can be found in the National Health Service Regulations is often quoted by the NHS inspectorate during a refused application for a distance-selling pharmacy. The reason this regulation was initially included by the NHS was to ensure that there are no conflicts of interest in a primary care provider such as a GP surgery opening up a distance-selling pharmacy within its location. The conflict that might arise is that the GP or whoever is writing the prescription will direct the patient to the pharmacy within the building for dispensing. i.e. if the GP has a share in both businesses they will be both the gold mine and the jeweller!
The best way to avoid conflicts of interest like this is to not do it! Or if there is no other option to create a clinical governance framework which would train all prescription writers not to direct prescriptions to the pharmacy within the same building. This is very nuanced, however, has been done in multiple previous locations including Douglas Pharmacy, in Angel Islington. If you would like further advice from the pharmacist that set this up please use this link.
