Fay Wilson wrote: 
> I don't know about the pharmacy contract, I assume it is the same ie
> that a lot can in theory be delegated to any appropriately qualified
> and experienced / competent person. The exception being that a GP
> cannot delegate any medical activities to a doctor who is not
> vocationally trained or equivalent and of course the doc retains
> vicarious responsibility for the actions of the person to whom it;s
> delegated to as well as responsibility for delegating appropriately. I
> believe there are standards and criteria for GP practices which
> delegate dispensing to dispensers. I expect there is something similar
> for pharmacists.
If only there was
I won't look up the reference - but I believe that a court ruling was
along the lines of  dispensing doctors being responsible to their
patients but a company pharmacy being responsible to its shareholders.
In my world that was an opportunity for independent contractors - GP or
pharmacist - to get together to claim responsibility to their patients -
and the right to delegate.

The white paper does appear to threaten the staus quo for dispensing doctors
However the PSNC and the DDA have issued a joint statement

http://www.dispensingdoctor.org/news/?pid=3710&lsid=3720&edname=26650.htm&ped=26650

While I broadly support the statement - I am somewhat miffed that I
could only find it on the DDA website and not on the PSNC website.

This threat has prompted some DDs to open their own pharmacies
This represents a great opportunity for both for DD's to include a
pharmacist on their team and also for the pharmacists who work in them
to be mentored to take on a more clinical role. (Which is the carrot
that will attract pharmacists to take the job)

Dr David Roberts offered some advice on how to open a pharmacy on his
website - sorry I've lost the address.

Jeff