Welcome to C+D's ninth Big Debate.  Tonight’s discussion will focus on the question: “Do online outlets pose a threat to community pharmacy’s reputation?” Some online pharmacy businesses are flourishing, with the pandemic further priming the field for distance-selling outlets. However, the General Pharmaceutical Council last month revealed it had  187 open fitness-to-practise cases linked to 83 online pharmacies and, last year, it said it was considering “differentiated fees options to cover the increased regulation needed for online pharmacies”. So, should community pharmacies embrace the digital model and can these different models coexist? What safety improvements should online pharmacies implement?  Could community pharmacies learn something from online outlets? We’ve got three speakers lined up to share their views tonight, but you can also let us know your thoughts by commenting and asking questions. The “live” part of the debate will close at 8pm, but feel free to continue to exchange views for as long as you like. C+D has introduced a streamlined functionality that allows users to mention each other in a comment. Simply use ‘@’ and type in the person’s name. This debate will start at 7pm.

Boots UK’s parent company has given prospective bidders until May 16 to submit their final offers for the multiple, Sky News has reported. The news outlet reported today (April 26) that Walgreens Boots Alliance’s advisers at Goldman Sachs have notified bidders of the mid-May deadline for formal offers. Asda’s owners – billionaire Issa brothers and TDR Capital – and the asset management company Apollo Global Management are expected to put forward final offers for the UK community pharmacy chain, Sky News reported. However, the outlet claimed that the multiple is expected to receive “fewer than a handful of bids” by the given deadline. This is due to some parties being put off by the asking price set by Boots’ parent company and “the backdrop of inflation and other cost pressures expected to hamper Boots' near-term financial performance”, Sky News reported. What do you think of the latest Boots sale news? Are you keeping up with it? Are you surprised the multiple has only received a handful of bids? 

The Coronavirus Act formed one of the pillars of the government’s plan to combat the COVID-19 pandemic by envisaging changes in legislation which gave “public bodies across the UK the tools and powers they need to carry out an effective response to [the] emergency” the pandemic presented. Do you think the Coronavirus Act helped pharmacy teams? Do you think it will have a lasting impact on pharmacy?

The General Pharmaceutical Council said it is considering “differentiated fees options to cover the increased regulation needed for online pharmacies” in papers released ahead of their upcoming meeting on December 9.

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) CEO Duncan Rudkin has said that the regulator will consider whether “additional guidance is required” if the legislation is changed to roll out the hub-and-spoke model across all pharmacies. Gareth Jones, head of corporate affairs at the NPA, stressed that it was up to individual businesses to implement hub and spoke in the future and assess whether it would benefit them. However, Mr Jones argued that there is not “a huge business incentive for independent pharmacies” to introduce the model. “I don’t see [hub and spoke] revolutionising pharmacy practice within multiples either”, Mr Jones continued.

The General Pharmaceutical Council called on pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to get the vaccine, following health secretary Sajid Javid’s decision to make COVID-19 jabs mandatory for staff working in Care Quality Commission (CQC) registered businesses.