To think Pharmacies shouldn't shut for lunch anymore

The ones near us are now all opening all day and not closing for lunch. This is becuse the one that did knew it lost a lot of business from workers on lunch break wanting their goods.

This is news to me.
I have never encountered a pharmacy that is closed for lunch. The one near us is always extremely busy and I think the pharmacist must be taking her breaks on the premises.

example: my pharmacy is open 8-19h m to f and open Saturday 9-2. They always need a pharmacist on duty. Clearly my pharmacy has at least 2 pharmacists. Maybe your pharmacy has only 1. There is also a pharmacist shortage.

If they’re working they aren’t on a break, how would them being on the premises enable a prescription to be made up and signed if they’re on a break?

This.

I live in a country where pharmacies are open 7 days a week, some are open 24 hours, and most are open 12 hours daily, with no "closed for lunch" issues.

normally People aren’t paid for their lunch break so would be quite difficult to dictate what they do with it or where they do.

If my boss told me I had to take my unpaid break on the premises and deal with stuff I wouldn’t be impressed. Oh hang on, I worked on a labour ward for 15 years, it’s one reason I left. Being treated like that.

They shouldn’t have to. For employment purposes they legally have to have a break. Being on the premises isn’t good enough because they have to be available to check stuff, answer questions, etc. which they shouldn’t have to be doing on an unpaid lunch break. It’s also important they’re rested/have a break so they are less likely to make errors due to being overworked

Depends if their enough staff as they allowed to eat and go to the toilet...ex NHS member here who knows what it's like..we do need to use the toilet.. if just one pharmacist totally understand them closing for lunch

Can the pharmacist not take his or her break on the premises?

Interesting, where I am the vast majority of pharmacy profit is made from selling stuff that has nothing to do with evidence-based healthcare and so requires no pharmacist input (other than to turn a blind eye to the guff that’s sold).

Altho loving the shock at the idea of healthcare workers not getting a lunch break….hahahahaahahahahahahahahahaashaha

This explains some of the issues caused by the community pharmacy framework contract. https://www.chemistanddruggist.co.uk/CD136418/Sector-in-crisis-Thousands-of-pharmacies-at-risk-of-closure-as-inflation-bites

I'm pretty sure they'd have had a reason. Have you asked them?

Most small pharmacies are independent ones. Even the chain ones may be a franchise run by one person, sole trader.

Pharmacies are in financial crisis due to the cost of drugs going up but being restricted by how much they get paid back by the govt for prescriptions. They are sometimes selling stuff at a loss.

They can’t afford to employ another pharmacist and there’s a massive shortage anyway. Same as a lot of the rest of the healthcare sector.

Yes I would agree with this ^^

In addition, in small pharmacies they may only have one other member of staff dealing with the face to face customers. Makes more sense for them to take their lunch at the same time.

Yes indeed, I meant it completely literally. 😵‍💫 I'm sure you're familiar with the phrase?

I didn't say that anyone should skip lunch or that you did 🤔 I said that in Ireland, the pharmacists I know tend not to take a lunch break as they are so busy.

I didn't expect an instant reply at all but you disappeared pretty promptly, and yes you were misinformed - that was my point.

In terms of the supermarket pharmacies, you're misunderstanding what's been said here too. They cannot remain open without a pharmacist and perform any dispensing activities. For those wanting a prescription, it's the same whether they remain open but not dispensing, or closed.

Whether they shut the whole shop or just the pharmacy is actually regulated; it depends on whether the whole store is registered as a pharmacy or just the dispensary/healthcare area.

Pharmacists need a break. Staggering breaks means that the pharmacy has less staff at any one time and is known to increase likelihood of errors being made.

Because pharmacies are not money makers usually and can't afford to employ two?

why are loads closing? Wouldn't happen if they are successful and profitable

so I assume they are cutting costs same as the cafe next door who now gives me only one sausage in my full English instead of the two I used to get.

But they've been checked by the pharmacist when they're on the shelf ready to hand out over the counter! When I collect mine, the counter staff go to the shelf, pick the packet and hand them to me - at no time is the pharmacist involved nor consulted - they've already checked and signed them off.

Yep this is a strange loophole
Pharmacies can't legally conduct certain actions without a responsible pharmacist on-site (dispensing medication, handing out medication, selling behind the counter medicines etc) so even medication that has already been made up cannot be legally handed over unless a pharmacist is onsite.
The law was amended to allow online/internet delivery pharmacies to develop, so delivery was made exempt, but we've ended up with a strange loophole that allows dispensed medication to be delivered but can't be handed out at the pharmacy.

Where do you propose we magic all these pharmacists from, I mean without magic how do you double the number of pharmacists over night?

. I’m not sure there was much shouting. Its definitely not a shouty area. More genteel.

What's the point in them staying open to sell front of counter items when you can buy those anywhere? Their primary service is dispensing prescription medication, which is presumably what people would be going for on their own lunch breaks.