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Pharmacy closures
Safe staffing and access to a pharmacist are key pillars of patient safety and of the PDA’s Safer Pharmacies Charter, which identifies necessary standard practice whenever and wherever pharmacy work is carried out.
However, the PDA is aware of pharmacies that may be closing temporarily due to a “lack of a pharmacist”, and we are responding to the concerns of our members about this issue. Closures can be situations where the doors remain open with limited activity due to the absence of a pharmacist, or the complete closure of a branch for either part or all of a day.
This tool is for reporting, to the PDA, instances where community pharmacies are temporarily closed due to there being no responsible pharmacist, please complete the survey each time you become aware of a pharmacy being closed in this way.
This online tool was initially tested in Scotland, where there seemed to be a disproportionate number of instances being highlighted by newspapers and on social media, however the problem is also seemingly reaching epidemic proportions in England too.
The PDA is asking all members in the UK to complete the online survey whenever they become aware that a pharmacy has closed temporarily due to no responsible pharmacist. The information gathered will help to evaluate the size and scale of the issue and how the provision of NHS services to patients may be affected.
