Pharmacies are preparing to reduce working hours in protest against the contract

About 6000 community pharmacists are notified in England, for the first time, of starting to “work to rule”, within two weeks, unless an agreement is reached with the government under a new contract in NHS.

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) urges its members to reduce working hours to 40 a week, as stipulated in the current decade, because they have not yet received any confirmation of funding for this next fiscal year.

They can also cut services, such as delivering medications to people’s homes, supporting addiction, helping smoking and contraceptives in emergency situations

The government said this step would cause “unnecessary disorder for patients” and that the settlement of pharmacies was already working.

The NHS pharmacy contract represents about 90 % of its revenues, on average.

With the increases in national insurance, the national pharmacists of the national wages and labor bodies say, from April 1, that the lack of agreement to its contract causes concern.

This comes at the top of a contract of discounts in financing, which has witnessed 30 pharmacists near the beginning of this year, says NPA.

About 3000 pharmacy owner in England, Wales and Northern Ireland Voice in favor of work, in November.

Nick Kai, who heads NPA, said that pharmacies “left without a choice.”

“It is better to temporarily reduce the short -term access to pharmacies to completely collapse under the weighing of unsustainable operating costs,” he said.

There were few reactions from the ministers and the effect of the current uncertainty was “devastating” for pharmacies.

“We want to continue to see patients, push our employees, and we do not have to think about closing, and investing in our future businesses,” Kai added.

The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare said that pharmacies had a vital role that played it with the shift of NHS’s concentration away from hospitals to society.

“The pre -emptive procedure of the National Pharmacy Association will lead to an unnecessary disorder for patients and we urge them to review,” an official said.

Healthwatch England, which records the experiences and concerns of people who use health and social care services, urged the government to conclude negotiations with pharmacies as soon as possible.

Pordek Nox, from the healthwatch England, said that many patients have seen a local pharmacy closely or suffer from disorders due to employee deficiency.

“This issue especially affects the elderly and is especially sharp in rural areas, where people often have to travel more to visit the pharmacist,” he said.

But he stressed that not every community pharmacy was a member of NPA and it was up to each one to decide whether to reduce services.

There are about 10,500 pharmacy in England, according to the community pharmacy in England, which represent all the owners of the pharmacy.