There are not many pharmacies with as good a view as Gairloch Pharmacy. 

Nestled in the northwest Highlands of Scotland, in the scenic village of Gairloch, the pharmacy is located on a road that follows the loch around. A beach lies a few steps away.   

It’s no surprise Gairloch Pharmacy’s owner David Dryden says it’s a beautiful place for tourists to stop by. 

“You look out the window in the morning and you’re in one of the most picturesque places in Scotland,” Dryden tells C+D.  

But to make sure Gairloch Pharmacy is open every week, Dryden has to complete a 10-hour round trip in the car from Glasgow to get there, leaving on a Sunday and completing the return leg on a Wednesday. 

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“Driving for 10 hours a week means there’s an opportunity cost that could be spent with friends, family or doing work for the business,” he says. “It’s draining my battery, but I do like coming here. I’m not complaining, I put myself forward for it.” 

He adds he’s got used to it even if “there’s deer all over the road” on the last part of the route from Inverness to Gairloch. 

75 minutes from nearest pharmacy 

The pull of the amazing location, a well-fitted pharmacy, and a great team working in it was enough to convince Dryden to purchase the pharmacy, but he’s found there’s other challenges aside from his 10-hour commute. 

“Deliveries from wholesalers are not as reliable as they are in Glasgow,” says Dryden, who also runs Kyle Square Pharmacy in south Glasgow.  

“Quite often the wholesalers run out of cool boxes, so we get a phone call saying your fridge items aren’t coming. Those are really important medicines for people.” 

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Late deliveries are even riskier, as patients would have to drive at least 75 minutes to Ullapool or Strathpeffer to get their medication from the next closest pharmacy. 

Dryden says finding locum cover is the “biggest challenge”, with most coming from Perth, Edinburgh or Glasgow. He finds it difficult to attract locums operating in the (far closer) Inverness area, where they can get paid higher rates. 

“Generally, people are happy to come for three days at a time, some a month or two at a time. But getting somebody to come up for a day is just impossible. 

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“It’s very difficult and cost prohibitive because, rightly so, locums say they need to be paid for mileage so that makes one day very expensive.” 

Dryden renovated the two flats above the pharmacy which are offered to locums as accommodation when they work at the pharmacy. “That’s why people are quite happy to come for three, four days or more. We’ve put everything in place to make it as appealing a prospect for people.” 

Additional costs 

Dryden shares that making the pharmacy even more profitable can be difficult because of the local population demographics. 

“Most of the way that pharmacies are funded is geared towards the prescription volume, but you generate more revenue doing oral substitution therapies,” he says.  

“You tend to find in most rural communities you don’t have that, so your income is probably lower per prescription in a rural pharmacy compared to one in an urbanised area.” 

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He also says increased workloads that pharmacies are facing also impacts rural pharmacies too. 

“The workload for pharmacists has gone up year on year. We’re doing more services, but the funding hasn’t kept pace with the increase in workload, let alone the increased demands upon businesses with national insurance rises and minimum wage rises. 

“That’s a real problem for the profession as a whole, but more acutely in rural pharmacies where you’ve got additional costs of locals wanting to be paid more to work in rural location.  

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“I half agree and disagree, because if you’re doing nine hours work it doesn’t matter where you are.  

“On the other hand, fair enough if you’re taking a week away from your family and you don’t have the comforts to fall on.” 

New arrival 

He praises the teams he’s worked with in Gairloch who have always gone the extra mile to ensure the pharmacy is open. 

“We’ve had the support of pharmacists who have gone over and above in recent years and it’s a real challenge for them. People have had to work long hours and many days without much respite and that’s similar in many rural pharmacies in Scotland, it’s a big challenge. We’re very appreciative of the efforts all pharmacists that have worked here.” 

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With a new pharmacy manager relocating from England to start at the remote but beautiful pharmacy soon, Dryden may be able to cut down on the number of trips he makes to the area. 

“I’m exhausted," he says. “Working in Gairloch is great. I’ve made a lot of friends here and I’ve had a lot of support. It’s great, but it’s not something I can do forever.”