Community pharmacists remain the most undervalued part of the healthcare profession and it is time that we give them the praise and recognition they deserve.
It has been a grueling few years for pharmacists, who have routinely compensated their own safety to support their local communities over the last few years. Yet, in comparison to other NHS workers, they have not received the recognition they deserve.
Pharmacists across the UK have been a critical part of the Covid-19 response. As cases soared during the peak of the pandemic many pharmacists became fearful for their own lives when it became increasingly difficult to obtain the necessary PPE to protect staff. Tanvir Kawser, a community pharmacist based in Essex, explained the difficulties with ensuring that staff members and customers were sufficiently protected against the spread of Covid: "It was a very challenging time for all working in a pharmacy. Pharmacies are often very small, crowded spaces and trying to keep everyone safe and prevent the spread of Covid between staff and patients was the hardest challenge." As the pandemic progressed and GP ‘closed door’ policies were introduced, community pharmacists became the first line of advice, support and treatment. Thousands of patients turned to their local pharmacies to provide them with information and support as it became difficult to access other healthcare providers. Locum pharmacist, Pomi Knight, explained that GP surgery closures led to her having to deal with more serious health queries outside her jurisdiction: "We saw an unusual increase in patients coming into pharmacies seeking health advice on minor illnesses and how to prevent contracting the Coronavirus." She also said that pharmacists faced an increased workload as patients were inappropriately referred to their pharmacies for more demanding services including blood tests and referral diagnosis.
To accelerate the UK’s vaccination programme, high street pharmacies also became involved in the vaccination process. Pharmacies quickly became popular vaccination centres with many patients praising the convenience of getting their vaccine at their local store. Over the last 12 months community pharmacists have overcome logistical obstacles and staffing issues to deliver over 22 million Covid vaccines. Alongside vaccination centres, there are now over 600 community pharmacies who are carrying out life-saving vaccinations. It is no wonder that following the pandemic, the majority of community pharmacists feel demoralised. While doctors and nurses have been rightly applauded, their hard work and sacrifices have been overlooked. One pharmacist said that the lack of gratitude shown to her profession was ‘insulting’, especially considering the fact that ‘most pharmacists had been forced to act as mini-doctors’ as a result of GP surgery closures.
We clearly owe a great deal of gratitude towards community pharmacists who have undisputedly been the backbone of the NHS throughout the pandemic.
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