PSNC clarified in a briefing published last week (April 18) that the King’s coronation on Saturday, May 6 “is a normal working day” for community pharmacies and that their opening hours should reflect this.
However, it noted that pharmacies “can close without giving notice” on Monday, May 8 – unless they have been told by NHSE to remain open – because it acts as a “substitute” bank holiday day for the coronation.
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According to the negotiator, if contractors want to close their pharmacy early during supplementary hours then they must to give notice of this “at least five weeks in advance”.
However, they must apply to NHS England (NHSE) if they wish to close during core hours, PSNC said. In these cases, a contractor would have to satisfy NHS England (NHSE) that patient needs are continued to be met, otherwise the application is likely to be refused”, it noted.
PSNC warned that pharmacies are “unlikely to be able to close early” unless these conditions are met.
“Extra pressure”
The Pharmacists’ Defence Association (PDA) has encouraged employers to ask employees “early” whether they want to take time off on certain days so that other staff members can “volunteer to work” in their stead.
But the union’s director Paul Day acknowledged that this “has been harder than normal for employers to arrange” because the coronation date and its corresponding bank holiday “were not announced with the same amount of notice that most bank holidays provide”.
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However, pharmacists and other health professionals “should still be able to enjoy some time away from work with their own families even on days of significant public events” as well as on other days over the coronation, where “there may be social gatherings across communities”, he said.
Tom Bisset, superintendent pharmacist at Ward Green Pharmacy in Barnsley, told C+D the extra bank holiday next month would only add pile more stress onto pharmacy teams.
He questioned why the bank holiday fell on the Monday rather than on the day of the coronation, as he pointed out this would create “another day where employers are having to pay for staff who are not at work…creating extra pressure on pharmacy”.
It comes at a time when pharmacy bodies in England have warned that the sector faces total collapse unless the government increases its funding for pharmacies.