The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 276 No 7392 p322
18 March 2006

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· SOPs (3)
· Professional regulation
· New pharmacy contract
· Oxygen services
· Compliance aids (2)
· The profession (2)
· Workbreaks
· Boots/UniChem merger
· The Society (2)
· HealthWatch

Letters to the Editor

Workbreaks

Society’s guidance may have little effect in practice

From Mr P. S. Summerfield, MRPharmS

I read with interest the guidance that has been issued by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society regarding the provision of breaks during working hours for pharmacists (PJ, 18 February, p216). Although the guidance is extremely useful and a leap forward in clarifying the position within this once grey area, the guidance has omitted an extremely important provision. Regulation 12(3) of the Working Time Directive (SI 1998/1833, as amended) provides that “the rest break so provided for is an uninterrupted period of not less than 20 minutes, and the worker is entitled to spend it away from his workstation.”

I draw the attention of my colleagues to the phrase “uninterrupted period”. It is submitted that this phrase means, literally, “undisturbed”. Further to this, I respectfully request that the Fitness to Practise and Legal Affairs Directorate issue an amendment to their most helpful guidance to reflect that a break, taken by a pharmacist during working hours, should be undisturbed by queries, etc, from other members of the pharmacy team.

Finally, it is submitted that if a break is interrupted, then it does not become a break within the meaning of the Working Time Directive and, as such, the guidance that has been issued has little or no effect on the current position faced by most pharmacists.

Paul Summerfield
Powick, Worcestershire

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