"Convenient space" or "a tight squeeze": insider views on the community pharmacy

This paper presents research aimed at identifying the extent to which pharmacy spaces are aligned to good professional practice, enhance a professional's sense of self and meet the demands of the public. Findings from a novel, qualitative, mixed-methods approach employing biographic and photographic techniques indicate that UK pharmacy spaces are less accessible than intended by the Department of Health's pharmacy contract. Pharmacists escape to the dispensary to preserve their professional self-identity and to avoid the expectations of a demanding public. Recent innovations such as consultation rooms lack clarity of intent amid the multiple functions that a busy community pharmacy demands.