Professor John Robertson OBA

England has fewer drug deaths and a shorter two year hospital waiting list but that’s it. After 14 years of not having a Conservative Government, every area of public service is operating better in Scotland. Even our ferries are far better than those in England [Isle of Wight, Scilly Isles, Mersey].

Here’s another – pharmacies

The Guardian today, above, typically confused:

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) said it had “been left with little choice” but to recommend its 6,000 members take collective action for the first time in its history, unless the government provides “new and sufficient” funding to cover significant new costs.

About 90% of an average pharmacy’s work is funded via the NHS, including dispensing medication and vaccinations. But the NPA, which represents community pharmacies, says members have yet to receive any confirmation of funding for the 2024-25 or the 2025-26 financial years. Increases in employers’ national insurance rates, the national living wage and business rates from April, on top of these unresolved funding issues could “jeopardise patient safety”, it says.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/mar/18/uk-pharmacies-could-cut-hours-unless-nhs-provides-new-and-sufficient-funding

And in Scotland?

The Guardian 26 September 2024:

Pharmacy closures in England threaten plan to use them instead of GPs for some care

There’s no mention of Scotland, of course.

The Herald and the Glasgow Times are just repeating the the same story with no mention of Scotland.

From May 2023, here’s why:

Scotland scheme ‘more patient-focused’

Pharmacists in England look to Scotland, where a scheme called Pharmacy First includes a contract between the sector and the Scottish government setting out what services are expected, with payment for every consultation.

These cover minor ailments and illnesses, some of which might once have been dealt with at GP practices. In England there is a less formal arrangement, with some consultations by pharmacists not remunerated. There is also more prescribing of medicines by pharmacists in Scotland.

George Romanes, who owns a chain of local pharmacies in the Scottish borders, believes the new structure works better than the arrangements south of the border.

“I used to have an English pharmacy but I sold it, and all the outlets we have now are in Scotland. I think the Scottish contract is much more patient-focused,” he said.

“The fact you can come in and see a pharmacist there and then as it were, rather than needing an appointment, is very beneficial for patients, they like to get a problem sorted as quick as they can.”https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-65481473

Mr Panesar [above] called for political leaders, including Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, whose mother ran a pharmacy, to visit local pharmacies to see first-hand the pressures they face.

“I’d love him to come and see what we do, how patients feel about what we offer and actually, that this is serious, and that the sector is crumbling, and is going to fall down like a stack of dominoes, if there’s not intervention urgently.