#ACTION4PHARMACISTS

I woke up at 1.50am after reading yesterday evening that community pharmacists have not been automatically included in the Government’s COVID-19 Life Assurance scheme. I was fuming when I woke up so decided to Tweet #action4pharmacists.

The first 10 years of my career were in community pharmacy. I always knew that I was working on the true frontline of healthcare as all the patients who had been to local GPs arrived on my doorstep. So each of the 10 Drs had seem 30 patients in the day and assuming they had all received a prescription, 300 patients arrived in the pharmacy. I knew it was the front line but then as now, we were ignored.

Massive oversight

A Pharmacy is the conduit for all other elements of healthcare. All patients flow through the pharmacy during treatment and the opportunity for Pharmacists to play a full an active role in patient care has been missed for years. And then COVID 19 comes along.

COVID advise from government:

• If you develop symptoms – treat with paracetamol. Where do you get it from – a pharmacy. Ok you can buy from other outlets but the volume needed for treatment a COVID case is more than 32
• GP practices to triage patients before inviting them to practice. Pharmacies – keep the doors open including over weekends and bank holidays.
• Pharmacies – keep your doors open for COVID patients and their carers/family members who could obviously be carrying the virus without showing symptoms.
• Don’t wear PPE unless you are front line staff – pharmacies not included

The final straw not including pharmacists and their team members from the Life Assurance scheme. How can it make sense to exclude them? They are the only healthcare provided that it fully open to care.

No replacement for a loved one

£60,000 is no compensation for loosing a loved one but it will gives family an opportunity to grieve and start to adjust.

I think the time has come for pharmacists to take a stand #actionforpharmacists is a hashtag I used on Twitter last night. I call for quick action to make the government change the rules around the Life Assurance scheme to allow access to the scheme to all members of the pharmacy team.

We need to stand together so I call on the PDA/RPSGB to come together to take action. As I’ve mentioned before we need to defend the profession but more importantly we need to defend our people

Time for #action4pharmacists

I suggested downing tools for two hours this Friday 1st May but I’m open to suggestions

#medacy

#proudtobeapharmacist

#action4pharmacists