The debate surrounding why pharmacies are having to close has been hotly reported on this year. In the first instance, there is the notion that the UK has a lack of pharmacists despite having a record number on the GPhc register. On the other hand, there is the view that pharmacists, particularly locums, are unhappy with their current rates of pay and working conditions.

Regardless of each viewpoint, it is clear that the community pharmacy sector needs to be supported to ensure continuity of care for local communities and patients.

What are the reasons for pharmacy closures?

Chemist and Druggist magazine has conducted an investigation that found 20,000 pharmacies reported closures in England over the past 12 months. Reasons for closures include locum pharmacists not being found (10,637) and no cover could be found (811).

How can Locate a Locum help?

With our locum workforce management platform, you are given the ability to avail of our brand new features block booking and instant book. These features were designed to eliminate gaps in your rota and to give you the ability to forward plan your staff up to 9 months in advance.

Within the platform you can manage all leave requests from your team and expenses/payments. You can rest assured that all locum pharmacists and staff booked through the LaL system are 100% compliant due to our rigorous compliance checks managed by an in-house team. Gain access to our community of 30,000 locums that are located all over the UK.

Get in contact

If you’re interested in reducing gaps in your rota, never having to report a closure and reducing your reliance on external agencies, then contact us today. Our team will be able to guide you through our platform and each of the products that are suitable for your needs.

We’ll also provide you with a branded landing page for your team and locums so everything is managed in one place. Don’t take our word for it, read what other pharmacy owners have to say about their experience with Locate a Locum.