Core Hours Check Toolkit
Core hours check
We recommend you check your core and supplementary hours with your NHS commissioners as part of our ongoing funding campaign.
Clarifying your core hours will be helpful if you wish to consider removing supplementary hours and moving to core hours following the NPA’s ballot of members on actions to ease pressure on pharmacies, help their short-term sustainability and protect services for the longer term. Even if you are not ready to cut hours yet, it is helpful to write to the NHS to remind them of all the supplementary hours that are at risk of being lost due to chronic under-funding.
It’s a quick and useful exercise in any event to help you plan your future services. Follow the guidance below to check your hours.
How to get a core hours check.
- Find the email of your NHS Commissioner.
In England: You will probably have emails from the local contract team to which you can reply direct. But you can find your local contract team here: NHS England » Pharmacy contract teams
- Use our template to request confirmation of your core and supplementary hours (see below)
Confirming core hours for my pharmacy
Dear Colleague,
I am emailing to request confirmation of the core and supplementary weekly hours which you have on record for my pharmacy/pharmacies.
[Anytown Pharmacy]
[Anytown]
[Anywhere]
[AB1 2CD]
As you may know, the National Pharmacy Association recently published the results of a ballot of its members which included a proposal to reduce opening to core hours, in the interests of patient safety and financial sustainability. This action follows a 40% real-terms cuts to the funding of community pharmacies over the past 10 years. The majority of community pharmacies are now operating at a loss, and over 1,250 have closed.
I am not giving you notice of a change in hours at present, but am requesting details of my core and supplementary hours to help planning in the event that situation changes.
Many thanks.
[Sender]