Chemists back to their usual hours
But virus regulations still in place
A number of chemists throughout the region have gone back to regular opening times in order to help reduce queuing for patients.
Davidsons Chemists, which has 18 branches in Perth and Kinross, had its hours reduced last month in order to process “a very dramatic increase” in NHS prescriptions during the lockdown.
However, regular opening hours returned on Thursday, April 9, which generally run from 9am-5.30pm Monday to Friday, and 9am-5pm on Saturday.
All social distancing measures and door policies will remain in place, with queue control assistants operating outside the busiest pharmacies, and pavement markings or hazard tapes being utilised.
A spokesperson for Davidsons Chemists said: “We decided to restart usual opening hours at all of our pharmacies because our NHS prescription throughput is beginning to normalise again, however, we are still closed for lunch between 1pm and 2pm.
“In March, particularly the second half of the month, we saw a very dramatic increase in NHS prescriptions.
“Essentially, we experienced double the usual workload and it was extremely challenging to keep up with patient needs and keep on top of lots of extra deliveries.
“Reducing hours at the start and end of the day allowed our pharmacy teams to get caught up with their work.
“It also enabled them to thoroughly clean and wipe down the premises and work surfaces when no patients were in the pharmacy.
“We are continuing to operate a locked door policy for the time being which means there may still be queues outside of our pharmacies, however, this is because we can only allow a very limited number of people in the pharmacy at one time for both staff and patient safety.
“We do apologise for any inconvenience caused but patients will be assisted as quickly and as safely as possible.”
The spokesperson said the company has employed various methods of social distancing outside of the pharmacies, ranging from queue control assistants (outside the busiest pharmacies) to pavement markings or hazard tapes.
Patients are also asked to be mindful of social distancing outside pharmacies if they are in a queue.
The spokesperson said pharmacy opening hours may need to be adjusted as the group meets the challenges of reduced staffing levels.
They added: “We also advise patients to pay attention to the signs at the pharmacies with further or more detailed advice and guidance.
“We would like to thank our patients for their cooperation and consideration of social distancing whilst visiting our pharmacies.
“We will aim to keep our social media updated with changes to opening hours, but please be aware that these may be subject to change at any time as we try to meet staffing requirements across all our branches.
“We will have notices outside any pharmacy affected to keep you up
to date.”