Emergency/ Temporary Closure of Pharmacy

Temporary Closures: Updating the NHS Website

With more patients using online services due to COVID-19, it is important to keep the opening times on your NHS website profile up-to-date and to reflect any temporary closures. NHS Digital’s step-by-step guide explains how to make adjustments.

help-guide-for-managing-temporary-closures-on-your-NHS-website-pharmacy-profile

Note that making changes to the Directory of Services (DoS) will not automatically adjust your NHS website opening hours.

Further guidance can be found at: psnc.org.uk/nhswebsite

NEW Service Reporting Unplanned Closures on PharmOutcomes…

As you will all be aware, if a pharmacy is unable to provide services at any point during its opening hours (both core and/or supplementary) then there may be a ‘temporary suspension in the provision of pharmaceutical services,’ also known as an ‘unplanned closure.’

Contractors have previously been requested to complete a notification form providing details of the reason for the closure, the steps being taken to resume services and the measures put in place to mitigate the effect for patients.

In order to support contractors with this reporting process (including the things contractors must consider when closing), a new service has been created and is now available on PharmOutcomes for all contractors in the South West.

The form can be found under the ‘services’ tab under the sub heading ‘unplanned closures’ where there are two services:

  • Reporting an unplanned closure
  • Pharmacy reopening service

In the event of an unplanned closure, all contractors should immediately complete the ‘reporting an unplanned closure’ service, then once full pharmaceutical services (business as usual) have resumed the ‘pharmacy reopening’ service should then be completed.

NHS England may request that a contractor provides further details regarding a closure in appropriate cases, in line with local policy. The details can be found on our website HERE

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