The supermarket chain believes doing so will allow it to “continue to meet the needs of [its] patients and the surrounding community”, a spokesperson told C+D yesterday (August 9).

Morrisons’ plans to “change” the opening hours of some of its pharmacies from November come after “a full review” of the way patients have used its services “following the impact of COVID-19”.

The spokesperson could not confirm what the pharmacies’ opening hours will change to, as not all Morrisons branches will be affected, they said. 

The chain believes the introduction of new opening hours will help support pharmacy teams’ “health and wellbeing” and promote “the need for a better work-life balance, while still maintaining a local pharmaceutical service”, it said.

Morrisons did not share which of its pharmacies will be subject to the new opening hours, and the spokesperson said the changes “will depend on the location of the pharmacy”.

C+D has asked the supermarket chain whether the changes are due to the current workforce pressures in community pharmacy, which many employers have attributed to a disputed shortage of pharmacists.

The supermarket operates nearly 500 shops across the UK – 117 of which have in-store pharmacies – and employs more than 110,000 staff.

Latest chain to change opening hours

The supermarket told C+D in June there were “no plans” to carry out “any changes” to Morrisons’ pharmacies following the completion of its £7 billion acquisition by US private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice.

Its decision to change opening hours follows Asda reducing operating hours in 88 of its “lowest volume” pharmacies in May to “better serve [its] patients”.

Boots also implemented “small changes” to the opening hours of 1,300 of its pharmacies in February, C+D revealed.

The multiple told C+D last week it was planning to launch a new locum management system as it continues to experience “some challenges with pharmacist resource”.

Meanwhile, supermarket chain Tesco has recently come under fire after the Pharmacists’ Defence Association claimed it was shuttering its pharmacies when no cover could be found under its new fixed locum rates, after reportedly pressuring locum pharmacists to walk back on pre-agreed rates or risk losing out on shifts.

Reports also emerged last week that one of Tesco’s Lancashire branches could face full or part-day closures during much of August.