The PDA has been notified by LloydsPharmacy that they will be transferring the employment of pharmacists who work on contracts to provide Outpatient Pharmacy Dispensary in hospitals (OPD). Those individuals will transfer from employment by LloydsPharmacy to employment by a new company within the Hallo Healthcare group called ‘LP HCS Ltd’. As the transfer of employment will be between two Hallo Healthcare companies there will be no change to any employment terms.
Since the pan-European investment group Aurelius UK acquired McKesson UK, it has renamed the group as Hallo Healthcare and made the distinctions between the group companies clearer. Originally the Hallo Healthcare Group consisted of LloydsPharmacy, AAH Pharmaceuticals, LloydsPharmacy Clinical Healthcare, Lloyds Direct and Lloyds Online Doctor. Now LP HCS Ltd will be a further Hallo Healthcare company.
A new employer is the only change to the employment of pharmacists working on the OPD contracts notified to the PDA Union and also communicated direct to pharmacists. However, this is a further reduction in the size of the remaining LloydsPharmacy company and some pharmacists are speculating as to what the future may mean for employees of LloydsPharmacy or LP HCS Ltd.
Whatever the future for PDA members in either, or both, of these companies, the PDA Union will be representing these individuals to ensure they understand and can exercise their rights at work. PDA members impacted by this change can contact the PDA Member Support Centre for advice although, as above, this change is just to another employer within the same group of companies with absolutely no change to employment terms or job role.
Changes like this can happen at any employer at any time, and so all pharmacists who are not yet PDA members are encouraged to join without delay so that if it happens to them they too can rely upon the PDA for support.
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