Unplanned temporary suspensions/closures
Published on: 6th June 2024 | Updated on: 6th June 2024
Following changes to the NHS (Pharmaceutical and Local Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 2013 that were imposed in 2023, from 31st July 2023, it is a Terms of Service requirement for each NHS community pharmacy owner to have a business continuity plan for a temporary suspensions of service (closure of the pharmacy) due to illness or other reason beyond their control, and to action this plan when necessary.
Preparation:
Our briefing sets out the terms of service requirements and sets out what is required in the plan, as well as explaining how and when to implement it.
We have prepared a template plan that you could complete for the pharmacy and add to the pharmacy’s existing business continuity plan.
Your plan could include the checklist we have prepared, which may be used in the event of a temporary suspension.
In the event of an unplanned temporary suspension (closure), you must:
- notify your ICB – you should use the unplanned tempoarary suspension of services notification form and send the completed form to the relevant ICB team (using the relevant email address on the pharmacy contract teams’ web page) as soon as practicable and wherever possible before the start of the suspension/closure;
- use all reasonable endeavours to implement your Business Continuity Plan for Temporary Suspensions (Template Plan) and you can use the Checklist; and
- use all reasonable endeavours to resume the provision of pharmaceutical services as soon as is practicable.
This emergency closure information sheet explains the contractual, IT and other actions needed if a contractor is faced with a risk of a short-term closure of their pharmacy.
If you have a plan, implement it as required and use all reasonable endeavours to resume provision of pharmaceutical services/reopen the pharmacy, and the reason for the temporary suspension/closure is illness or other reason beyond your control, you will not be in breach of the terms of service.
For more information on this topic please email comms.team@cpe.org.uk
