PDA to support pharmacists as Tesco plans eight in-store pharmacy closure

The Pharmacists Defence Association (PDA) has expressed its interest to support pharmacists impacted with the latest announcement of the closure of Tesco pharmacies.

“Tesco have followed ASDA and LloydsPharmacy (at Sainsbury’s) to announce cost cutting changes to their stores, impacting hundreds of jobs,” the association said.

The PDA’s interests in the announcement relate to the planned closure of eight in-store Tesco pharmacies and the impact of those closures upon pharmacists, however the union is of course concerned for all those impacted.

The PDA Union will support individual PDA members impacted by the decision so that they are aware of, and can exercise, their rights at work in relation to this situation.

Paul Day, PDA Union Director said, “In addition to the immediate impact on pharmacists employed at the stores marked for closure, this is the third instance in just twelve days of reductions in the overall access to a pharmacy for NHS patients.  We expect those who represent communities to be concerned about the loss of a key part of their local NHS service.”

The PDA also reiterate that as politicians talk about asking community pharmacy to take on more of the NHS workload, the government need to clarify what is being done to ensure the overall sector has the capacity to do so. Capacity lost in supermarkets needs to be gained on the High Street or elsewhere in the community.

It added: “The NHS is also responsible for the funding level of the contract with community pharmacy operators, and in England under the previous Chief Pharmaceutical Officer, it chose to underfund the contract, causing predictable pressure on its viability, which is almost certain to be a factor in any corporation’s decisions to close pharmacies.”