Pharmacists are trained clinicians not simply shopkeepers and they will have an even greater role in

Pharmacists are trained clinicians, not simply shopkeepers and they will have an even greater role in the NHS in the future.The OFT called the proposals a “missed opportunity” while supermarket groups expressed disappointment that the DTI had not gone further.Boots, which has 1,300 pharmacies in the UK and accounts for 12 per cent of the market, said it would need to examine the detail of the proposals but said it was well-placed to support a greater role for pharmacies in the NHS’s plans.Tesco said: “We welcome the government’s recognition of the need for change but perversely the detailed rules could introduce hurdles to greater deregulation.”The DTI said it wanted to boost patient choice through internet and mail order services though it didn’t say how these services would be delivered. Other changes appeared intended to liberalise the market but may end up having limited impact. The government proposed making it easier for pharmacists to locate in large shopping developments, such as shopping centres, though they will have a duty to provide a full range of services to meet local needs. Given most shopping centres already have a chemist this may have negligible impact.Pharmacists that are prepared to open for 100 hours a week will also find it easier to secure pharmacy licences though even major supermarket chemists are not open this long.

The average Tesco pharmacy is open for around 75 hours a week and shortages of qualified staff will make it difficult to open for longer.Brian Cotter, a spokesman for the liberal Democrats, said the DTI statement was “merely a reprieve for the community pharmacist and not the all out victory it may at first appear.”. The dramatic collapse of the Pierre Victoire restaurant chain has returned to haunt one of its former directors who faces a government-imposed ban on sitting on any more company boards. “[We] will make a further announcement if appropriate,” it added.Four other former Pierre Victoire directors have already been banned from holding any further directorships, including the chain’s multi-millionaire founder Pierre Levicky.Mr Rankin’s disqualification would be an unusual step, however, because as a non-executive director he was absolved from any direct day-to- day financial involvement.The downfall of Pierre Victoire, also based in Edinburgh, was one of Scotland’s most high-profile business failures. Launched by Mr Levicky in 1988, the chain rapidly expanded to more than 100 outlets.

It lasted just one decade before collapsing under a mountain of debt.The DTI case against Mr Rankin is due to be heard in October.. Tesco announced the creation of 3,500 shop-floor jobs in the UK and also said that it will transfer 350 more highly skilled positions in IT to India. However, while BT insists that it is not transferring any UK jobs to Asia, Tesco said it was moving positions to India.The new IT centre in Bangalore will be staffed by Tesco employees, not contractors. The jobs will become available over the next 12 months.Tesco said the expansion of its convenience store format and general good trading had led to the latest jobs.