Allow pharmacists to have virus jab, PDA urges employers

The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) has called on pharmacy employers to be flexible in supporting staff to get their Covid-19 vaccines.

The PDA has urged all pharmacy owners to make sure that they remove any barriers to their pharmacists receiving their jabs as soon as possible as vaccination appointments may conflict with planned working hours of the pharmacy teams.

To facilitate the pharmacy staff members, concerned employers can amend working hours, or perhaps allow the pharmacists to leave the pharmacy during their paid working day to receive the vaccination, it said.

“Throughout this year, the pandemic has required almost all organisations to be flexible. Pharmacy employers must play their part as corporate citizens and support all efforts to get through this pandemic. Having staff vaccinated also builds the resilience of the sector to continue to operate as further waves of the pandemic inevitably hit the population in the New Year,” the association said.

“Pharmacists’ experience suggests it is likely to be in the multiples, where many store or area managers are not health professionals, that a lack of understanding will manifest”.

The PDA has also called on Company Chemists Association members to ensure their management is all instructed to prioritise their staff receiving vaccines as soon as they are available. “This, after all, is not just an important public health issue, but also a crucial commercial consideration,” the association added.