Contingency planning is a proactive process that helps ensure the continuity of essential services during unforeseen events, disruptions, or emergencies. It involves identifying potential risks, assessing their impact, and establishing practical arrangements to maintain critical functions and minimise disruption to service delivery.
Effective contingency planning supports organisational resilience by enabling a timely and coordinated response to incidents such as staff shortages, system failures, adverse weather, supply chain issues, or other unexpected events. It helps protect patients, staff, and services by ensuring that appropriate actions can be taken to maintain safe and effective care.
This section outlines the key contingency arrangements, responsibilities, and escalation processes required to support service continuity and recovery when normal operating procedures cannot be maintained. It should be reviewed regularly and updated whenever there are significant changes to service provision, staffing, or identified risks.
NHS organisations are required to maintain plans and processes that support continuity of services during organisational difficulties and disruptions. Business continuity planning encompasses preparation, prevention, response, and recovery arrangements designed to safeguard service delivery and public welfare.
Disruption to Hours of Service
Contractors should maintain contingency arrangements to manage situations where normal opening hours cannot be maintained, including temporary reductions in operating hours, staff shortages, or unplanned closures. Appropriate measures should be in place to minimise disruption to patient care, ensure timely communication with NHS Highland and patients, and maintain access to essential pharmaceutical services wherever possible. Any changes to opening hours or unscheduled closures should be managed in accordance with relevant contractual, regulatory, and local reporting requirements.
Community pharmacy contractors are required to ensure continuity of service provision in line with the terms of their NHS contract.
Unscheduled Closures:
Any unplanned or unscheduled closure of a community pharmacy represents a potential breach of contract and must be avoided wherever possible. In the event of unforeseen circumstances leading to a closure, contractors must notify the Community Pharmacy Services Team immediately and take all reasonable steps to minimise disruption to patient care.
All pharmacy closures must be reported via the questionnaire here
Planned Closures:
For any planned closures (e.g. refurbishment, staff training, or other operational reasons), contractors must contact the Community Pharmacy Services Team in advance to seek approval and ensure appropriate arrangements are in place.
Maintaining open communication is essential to support service continuity and safeguard patient access to pharmaceutical care.
Important Resources:
Record of Community Pharmacy Closures
(ADD BUSINESS CONTINUITY PLAN TEMPLATE)