Row over temporary pharmacy closures in the U.K. heats up

Community pharmacies in the U.K. are closing temporarily because of staffing shortages, but some are accusing the companies that run the pharmacies of unnecessary closures that put patients at risk. Pharmacists’ Defence Association (PDA) chair Mark Koziol wrote an open letter on July 19 criticizing “large multiple operators” for closing branches without cause. The PDA is a trade union that advocates for individual pharmacists and pharmacy students. The letter was published on the PDA website and addressed to U.K. health secretaries and National Health Service (NHS) and pharmacy officials. In the letter, Koziol suggested that some temporary closures were being decided four weeks in advance, and locums not being paid the agreed rate by large companies. Koziol said that statements saying the closures were due to shortage of staff “are clearly untrue, these closures appear to be caused by commercial considerations, and bring the reputation of the profession into question through this unethical practice.” Koziol also said that pharmacy regulators have not recognized that the closures demonstrate a failure in standards of professional conduct. He accused pharmacy operators of trying to influence regulators to change the requirement that there be a pharmacist in the pharmacy. The PDA also released a statement on July 19 saying Tesco, a supermarket chain that owns pharmacies, was reducing pay to locum pharmacists and cancelling shifts when the pharmacists did not agree on the pay rate. The Company Chemists’ Association, which represents pharmacy chains in the U.K., fought back with a statement on July 20, saying retaining staff is increasingly difficult and its members are working to prevent temporary closures. “To accuse some pharmacy businesses of choosing to act with impunity, to restrict patients’ access to NHS funded services is highly inflammatory. The truth of the matter is that all pharmacy businesses are reporting that they are struggling to find the registered professionals needed to open their pharmacies,” CCA said in a statement. Read: Pharmacists, nurses in U.K. now able to write 'fit notes,' certifying if patients are able to return to work We are extremely concerned that the PDA see fit to accuse large pharmacy operators of looking to misdirect healthcare systems into believing that the shortage of pharmacists being felt across the UK is a façade, being used to influence regulatory change. This is categorically untrue. We believe that it is the PDA who are misleading government officials into believing that there is not a workforce crisis, in a vain attempt to continue to drive up the cost of providing healthcare across the UK.” An April 2022 survey conducted by the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) showed 91% of pharmacies were experiencing staff shortages. PSNC negotiates the contracts for community pharmacies to provide NHS-funded pharmacy services. U.K.’s House of Commons Health and Social Care committee released a report on July 25 highlighting the need for a plan that increases recruitment, retention and wellbeing of healthcare staff. “Pharmacy teams will play a key role in the NHS recovery, but with continued pressures on staff we need support for the workforce so they can keep looking after patients,” Royal Pharmaceutical Society Director for England Ravi Sharma said in a press release about the report. “The next generation of pharmacist independent prescribers will make a huge difference to patient care, but there are some key factors to make the most of their skills.” “I would urge the Government and NHS to listen to the Committee’s call for an integrated and funded workforce plan for pharmacy, which ensures that all pharmacists have adequate access to supervision, training, and protected learning time, along with clear structures for professional development,” he said. Four health boards in Scotland are allowing community pharmacies to close on Saturdays due to staffing issues, the Pharmaceutical Journal reported. There were 1,750 pharmacy closures at short notice in Scotland between January and May 2022, according to the Sunday Post, citing data from PDA. Read: Would Scotland’s government-backed Pharmacy First program work in Canada?

Row over temporary pharmacy closures in the U.K. heats up

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