§ Ms HarmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the practice of general practitioners converting their dispensaries into pharmacies. [39749]
§ Mr. MaloneIt is open to a dispensing doctor to apply to the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain to register his premises as a pharmacy. He would need to meet legal and ethical requirements such as the availability of a pharmacist whenever pharmaceutical services were being provided.
§ Ms HarmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dispensing general practices there were in each of the last five years. [39750]
§ Mr. MaloneThe available information is shown in the table.
Dispensing General Practices 1992–95 in England Number of dispensing general practices 1995 1,214 1994 1,212 1993 1,202 1992 1,197 Source:
Derived from General Medical Services Census October 1992–1995.
Note:
Data on number of dispensing practices for 1991 are incomplete and unreliable.
§ Ms HarmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what research he has(a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on patients' preferences in relation to the dispensing of NHS prescriptions from (i) a general practitioner dispensary and (ii) a pharmacy. [39752]
§ Mr. MaloneNone.