Unauthorised Closure of Pharmacies

There may be occasions when a contractor is unable to open its premises for a reason that is beyond its control.

This may include: flooding of premises; lack of electricity; premises have been broken into; and Pharmacist has not arrived

It does not include planned refurbishment. It also does not include situations where the pharmacy occupies part of a larger building and the rest of the premises are closed as it is expected that contractors will have put in place arrangements to ensure they are able to fulfil their terms of service regarding their core and supplementary opening hours.

We would suggest you follow the actions below, not contractual, but are recommended in case of an event of a closure.

Notify the Herts. and West Essex ICB Regional Pharmacy Contracting Team Email: hweicbhv.pharmacy@nhs.net

Please state: Pharmacy name and address, Name of person reporting closure, Date of closure, Times of closure, Reason for closure, Detail what arrangements have been made for patients.

• Notify local pharmacies which patients may choose to access during the closure.
• Notify local surgeries to ensure they are able to deal with patient queries and do not send CPCS referrals.
• Consider if staff will be on the premises and how prescriptions will be returned to the spine.
• Ensure clear signage: for patients including any relevant contact details and details of alternative arrangements.
• Update the NHS website and Directory of Services (DoS) pharmacy profile. This is a requirement of your NHS Terms of Service. It is important to keep the opening times on your NHS website profile up-to-date and to reflect any temporary closures.
• Business Continuity Plan: A reminder that all pharmacies should have a Business Continuity Plan in place by the 31st July 2023.  A useful checklist can also be found here

If the closure is for part of a day please remember to inform the Contracting Team when the pharmacy has reopened. 

Please remember to display a notice to customers to inform them of the situation and the nearest pharmacies. You may find the template CPE Pharmacy closed poster useful.

In light of recent protests activity across the County Community Pharmacy England issued some advice on what to do if your pharmacy is affected. It includes advice on how to manage a temporary closure and previous police advice issued to pharmacies.

Make sure all relevant staff know where to find your Business Continuity Plan (BCP) and consider how you will update NHS Profile Manager if you are not able to do this before you leave the pharmacy.

You may also wish to display the NHS Staff Respect campaign materials you can find here