What is the ‘collective motion’ being launched by pharmacists and what is going to they cease doing?

If you rely on getting regular medication from your local pharmacy it’s worth checking what their plans are for the new year.

Community chemists have voted to launch their first ever industrial action with many across Britain cutting their opening hours. Without an improved pay deal by the turn of the year many pharmacies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will restrict their opening hours as well as the services they provide.

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) confirmed its members have voted to conduct ‘work to rule’ actions. Pharmacists are effectively independent businesses so would restrict the services they provide to their NHS contractual minimum. In the ballot some 99% of pharmacies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland voted to restrict their services, on a turnout of 64%. This meant 3,400 pharmacies have vowed to take part.

The results of the NPA ballot were:

• 97.8% voted to serve notice on opening hours above the minimum required by their contract – meaning fewer pharmacies will be open in the evenings and at weekends.
• 93.3% voted to withdraw making free home deliveries of medicines which are not funded.
• 96.1% voted to withdraw from locally commissioned services, including some local addiction support services, emergency contraception and stop smoking support.
• 99.2% voted to refuse to co-operate with certain data requests above those required for patient safety and contractual minimums.
• 96.8% voted to withdraw from supplying free monitored dose systems (medicine packs) that the NHS do not pay them to provide, other than those covered by the Disability Discrimination Act.

The NPA says government real-term funding cuts of 40% in England over the last decade have forced over 1,500 community pharmacies to close and many more to cut back opening hours. Chemists say vulnerable people are struggling to access vital medication as a result, particularly in poorer and more isolated communities. The trade association says hundreds more pharmacies are on the verge of closure.

The NPA is not a trade union so the ballot result is technically “advisory” but will see chemists reduce their opening hours to the bare minimum during some of the coldest weeks of the year. Together they would add to the logjam in primary care with patients struggling to get appointments. GPs retiring early and reducing their hours has meant it is harder than ever to get an appointment with a family doctor.

Around half of NPA member organisations are family owned, small to medium-sized businesses but some are larger companies. The NPA has called for a £1.3 billion funding increase to make them sustainable. It states: “We will await a response from the government before deciding to advise its members to take collective action.”

Funding and contractual arrangements from pharmacies are a devolved matter but the medicine funding arrangements – known as the Drug Tariff – are set by the Westminster government for pharmacies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scottish pharmacies have a separate system and are not involved in the current ballot.