Letter: The Rules of Economics Apply to Pharmacies Too

Published on: 23 Jan, 2024
Updated on: 23 Jan, 2024

From: Pete Bennett

In response to: ‘Please Help Merrow Before Somebody Dies’ Writes Resident to MP

Boots is a profit-making, American-owned company, and they will only run a service if it is making a profit.

A search on Google shows that they get paid £1.27 per prescription fulfilled (there are additional payments for other services but this is the payment for the core dispensing service).

I can’t see anything that differentiates between a pharmacy on Epsom Road or a pharmacy in a much cheaper location in a town in the North of England. If that is the case, is it any wonder that Boots and Lloyds cannot afford to stay open in Guildford?

In election year, the candidates will want to “look busy” but the system is broken and needs central government intervention.

Having said that, I picked up a prescription from this pharmacy a couple of weeks ago. I had to queue to give them my name (they had the prescription direct from the GP) and then go away for an hour and then queue again for them to actually dispense the prescription.

On the first visit, the pharmacist found the medication, and put it in a box which then waited there until I came again an hour later. Unless there is something really complicated going on behind the scenes that I don’t understand, Boots have twice as many people queueing as they really need to.

I asked if there was any way that I could have done differently to make this more efficient and was told no – this is the system. I should use an online pharmacy instead.

So that is what I have done: there are various online pharmacies out there that are free, with free delivery and I have registered with one of them.

Responses to Letter: The Rules of Economics Apply to Pharmacies Too

Jim Allen Reply

January 23, 2024 at 9:51 pm

As a side there is an excellently locally owned coffee shop in the same parade of shops. Last time I had to wait I had excellent hot chocolate!
M Durant Reply

January 23, 2024 at 10:40 pm

The medicines are not stored any longer at Boots pharmacy like they used to they come from a warehouse so if something goes wrong with a medicine the pharmacist can’t replace the medication there on the spot,they have to contact the warehouse to replace the medication and it takes them about a day to get it from the warehouse.

The online system is unreliable several times they didnt have the stock and one has to go to a physical pharmacy to get the prescription within 24 hours, it would have taken weeks online when they where out of stock as they don’t tell you straight away they don’t have the stock

There are possibly going to be more shortages of medications due to our government requesting India to change patents on the medicines. Why they are requesting it is not very clear.