In December 2018, McKesson UK (Lloyds Pharmacy’s parent company) announced it had acquired Prescribing Support Services and Optimed Healthcare – which operates under Prescribing Support Services. Prescribing Support Services is a company which provides GP surgeries with NHS services and practice pharmacists.
Prescribing Support Services deliver NHS commissioned medicines optimisation and clinical support services (including support for long-term conditions). They also provide GP practices with pharmacists and deliver training. Optimed Healthcare designs pharmacist-led review services and NHS training programmes, according to its website.
Further details around the acquisition were published in a Chemist and Druggist article on 10/01/2019 (read here).
In the published article Mckesson UK declined to comment as to what the acquisition could mean for pharmacists employed in Lloyds Pharmacy branches.
This acquisition means that as employees, you could see:
- changes to management or working arrangements
- wholesale organisational changes
- changes to employment terms and conditions
- changes to, or uncertainty about, employment contracts.
Employees have some legal protection when the employer changes in these circumstances, but often individual pharmacists will not know what their rights are, or how to challenge management action.
This is where the PDA Union come in. As an independent trade union, we exist to help our members and have helped members with similar situations in the past. Our team understands the implications for pharmacy. We have experts in employment law and can help with every aspect of such a change. We can ensure you are equipped with the right information.
We’d hope for any changes to be well managed by McKesson UK and for you to be properly consulted, informed and involved as a pharmacy professional, however if there are concerns you must raise the issue, preferably in writing, with your line manager to make them aware of your concerns. If you believe that your concerns are not being addressed satisfactorily by the company or patient safety remains at risk, the PDA Union should be contacted for advice.
If you are working in any part of Prescribing Support Services and become subject to any changes following the acquisition, please do let us know of any issues or concerns you have.
If you know a pharmacist colleague that is not yet a member of the PDA Union, please recommend that they join us today.