How to plan the dispensary and on-call duty in a pharmacy
On-call duty comes from the authority and is not negotiable. For planning that means it goes in first and everything else is arranged around it. The dispensary has to be staffed with the right qualification for the whole of the opening duty.
As of:September 2026
Step 1: enter the on-call duty first
The roster comes from the authority, is settled early and is not negotiable. That is why it belongs in the plan first, with the regular service built around it rather than the other way round.
Enter the whole year's rota as soon as it is available, instead of month by month. Only then does the plan show which weeks leave little room for leave anyway. What the obligation follows from is set out on the industry page for pharmacies.
Step 2: staff the dispensary by qualification
Not every activity may be taken on by every person. Compounding, testing and dispensing prescription medicines are tied to the pharmaceutical qualification. In the plan that becomes a staffing rule per activity.
The benefit shows in the check: the plan reports when a time window of the opening duty is staffed without the necessary qualification, instead of it surfacing on the day itself.
- Keep the dispensary, compounding, delivery service and stock management as separate activities.
- Store the qualification per person, so that the staffing rule takes effect.
- Store the authority's exemption times as a given in the plan.
Step 3: have premium hours reported separately
On-call duty produces hours in three special positions: at night, on Sundays and on public holidays. Check when setting up that the time boundaries for them are right, because after that the calculation runs by itself.
MetronHR reports these hours per person in the monthly overview. The premium rates can be stored; calculating the amount is part of payroll. Which entitlements hang on it is set out on the industry page for pharmacies.
Knowing the rules is one thing, keeping to them day to day another. MetronHR checks breaks, rest periods and maximum working time automatically as time is recorded.
Step 4: plan the rest period after on-call duty
After an on-call duty, eleven hours of rest apply. Anyone on duty until six in the morning may not be back in the dispensary before the afternoon.
Because the on-call duty is in the plan first, the conflict check reports this case while scheduling and not only in the following month's evaluation.
Step 5: close the month and hand it over
At the end of the month, MetronHR produces an Excel overview per person with target, actual, overtime, night, Sunday and public holiday hours as well as days of leave and sickness. That goes to payroll as a file.
So that nothing changes quietly afterwards, the closed period can be locked. Corrections then run as a change request, which is decided and recorded.
Further reading:Section 23 of the German Pharmacy Operations Ordinance (opening duty, on-call roster) · Section 2(4) and section 6 of the Working Hours Act (night work) · Section 5 of the Working Hours Act (rest period)
This is not legal advice; for a specific case at your workplace you are better off asking someone qualified to give it.
Published by: AMNAU GmbH
Editorial responsibility: Ugur Aydogan, Product development.
Last reviewed: September 2026
Frequently asked questions
What we are asked about this most often.
As a given for the site, so that the plan knows when the dispensary has to be staffed and when being reachable is enough. Which times the authority may exempt and what applies during them is set out with its source on the industry page for pharmacies.
MetronHR reports the hours in night, Sunday and public holiday positions separately. The premium rates can be stored and are displayed. Calculating the premium amount itself is part of payroll and stays with the tax adviser or the payroll software.
Yes. Every establishment gets its own site, and terminals carry a site name. Billing is per person, not per site, which makes a clear difference with two small branches.
Usually at the terminal with a card, because there is rarely a free computer in the dispensary. It needs no private phone and no biometric data. Anyone working in the back office clocks in in the browser.
Question not answered here? Every step is explained in the help centre.
Knowing the rules is one thing. Keeping to them is another.
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