Pharmacy Daily | Staff shortages close Dubbo store

PHARMACY'S workforce crisis is forcing one regional NSW-based pharmacy to close its doors, following the resignation of the store's sole pharmacist.

The owners of Dubbo's Chemist Outlet on Macquarie Street have struggled to find a pharmacist to run the pharmacy and are unsure when they will be able to reopen the store, the Daily Liberal reported.

A spokesperson for Chempro, which owns the Chemist Outlet banner, said workforce shortages were impacting the profession across the country.

"It's not just Dubbo, there's actually an industry shortage of pharmacists at the moment so trying to find one that can permanently work at the Dubbo store has proven very difficult," the spokesperson said.

"We targeted everywhere for someone - being a pharmacy, the last thing you ever want to do is not be able to open the store, but legally we can't run the store without a pharmacist.

"This has been going on for about a year but it's become really apparent over the last six months.

"There's so many jobs going at the moment, employees have the choice where they want to go.

"It never used to be like that. It used to be that we would put up a job ad and get up to 100 applicants - good applicants - and now we're lucky to get one... if that."

Patients who have prescriptions on file and Websterpaks have been advised to go to Bowen's Pharmacy for further assistance.

While staff shortages have challenged the profession over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, an industry source has told Pharmacy Daily that they are unlikely to result in store closures.