Are community pharmacists prepared to work extended opening hours?

Focal points:
A 5 per cent cross-sectional sample of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's membership was targeted with a self-completion questionnaire
Community pharmacy respondents were asked questions on their views on current pharmacy opening hours and their willingness to work extended opening hours
Around one fifth of the community pharmacists sampled believed that patients should have access to at least one community pharmacy 24 hours a day
Only 3.4 per cent of community pharmacists sampled were prepared to work at any time over a 24-hour period
With the introduction of more 24-hour health care services (eg, NHS Direct), there may need to be a change in the attitudes of community pharmacists towards working extended opening hours