PATIENTS are being put at risk by an “escalation” of short-notice pharmacy closures, a health board has warned.
Firms including Lloyds have blamed staff shortages for increased disruption to community services, which NHS Lothian said was “significantly impacting on patient care and access to medicines”.
Pharmacists' leaders claim companies are opting to reduce opening hours rather than negotiate agreed rates with locums to cover shifts.
Pharmacies are contracted by the NHS, and sector leaders say there is concern that some are breaching the terms of their agreement by failing to alert health boards in advance of closures.
Firms are required to put alternative arrangements in place for patients who require prescriptions and drug users who are on opioid replacements such as methadone. GP surgeries must also be informed. Across Scotland, closures are said to have been most widespread in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Data obtained by the Pharmacists’ Defence Association (PDA) shows at least 14 community pharmacies reported unscheduled closures to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde in May.
Pharmacists were originally part of the vaccination taskforce, which impacted on community services, but the contract was terminated.
Paul Day, of the PDA, said: “These businesses have signed a contract with the NHS to open a pharmacy for a community to use, so by not opening they are breaching that contract and potentially denying sick people access to their medicines.
“There is a recognised shortage of pharmacists in some places in the UK but our locum members often say that they are available, but the employers wont agree a fair rate.
"The employers might claim the locums sometimes want too high a rate, but the locums are saying they are asking for a reasonable rate which the employers just won’t pay.
“The letter sent by NHS Lothian this week shows its now a big enough issue for at least that health board to have to remind contractors about the process for advising them when there are closures.
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“That suggests that they think some closures are not being notified correctly. It seems increasingly they are not providing their side of the contract, by not opening, yet the employers still accept the full contract payment from the NHS for a service they aren’t actually providing.”
According to data sourced by Locate a Locum the average hourly shift rate in Scotland last year was £21.16, compared with a UK average of £20.50, £18.35 in Northern Ireland and £23.08 in Wales. The Scottish Government is also paying staff a £500 one-off payment.
The PDA says pharmacy multiples such as Lloyds should be negotiating more money from the Government if the NHS contract doesn’t provide enough income to pay locum rates “rather than denying patients access” to health services.
Locums say closures are leading to patients venting their frustrations on other pharmacists.
Of the 14 pharmacies which reported closures in May in Greater Glasgow, nine are owned by Lloyds.
In March, the company carried out an internal investigation following accusations on social media that it was opting to close branches rather than increase locum pay rates.
Lloyds said that it was satisfied with the findings and was confident it provided a “competitive and flexible average hourly rate for locum pharmacists.”
Responding to the latest concerns raised by NHS Lothian, a spokeswoman for Lloyds said: “It is always our priority to ensure that all our pharmacies are open and accessible to provide medicines and care to patients.
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“We are currently having to part close with neighbouring sites due to lack of pharmacist availability, which is unfortunately causing some disruption to our services which we sincerely apologise for.
“We take our responsibility for the care of our patients and customers very seriously, and our field management and rota team are working hard to resolve these staffing issues as quickly as possible.
“Closing any of our pharmacies at any time is always a last resort.”
Dave Liddell, CEO of the Scottish Drugs Forum, said the disruption to services through the pandemic had resulted in “challenges” with the dispensing of opioid substitutes such as methadone.
But he added: “Overall, the challenges of closures or reduced hours of pharmacies has been handled well during the course of the pandemic.”
Stephen McBurney, associate director of pharmacy for NHS Lothian, said: “We have written to contractors to remind them of the steps they should take to ensure an unexpected closure is communicated as widely as possible to ensure patients can continue to access their medicines safely and when required.”
A spokeswoman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: “Community pharmacies are working to minimise closures, which are often just for a few hours at a time. We will continue to work closely with them to maintain pharmaceutical services for
patients across NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.”
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said it was aware of a small number of pharmacy closures as a result of staff having to self-isolate or due to shortages in the workforce.
She added: "Health Boards can take a range of actions in response to any breach of terms by a pharmacy contractor.”
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