Community pharmacy ‘overlooked’ during pandemic, NPA tells Covid-19 Inquiry

The NPA asked the Inquiry to consider the resilience of community pharmacy in responding to a future pandemic

At the UK Covid-19 Inquiry’s Module 3 hearings on 10 September, the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) highlighted that community pharmacy was “often overlooked and under-recognised” during the pandemic.

Lawyer Lee John-Charles, speaking on behalf of the NPA, told the Inquiry that despite the central role played by community pharmacy in the delivery of NHS care throughout the pandemic, community pharmacists and their teams were “not given comparable treatment to other frontline healthcare workers.”

The NPA criticised the initial exclusion of pharmacy workers from the Life Assurance Scheme for frontline workers in England, calling on the Inquiry to investigate this notable omission.

The NPA also pointed out that community pharmacies were forced to source and fund their own personal protective equipment (PPE) as it was not initially available to them through the NHS.

Additionally, community pharmacy staff were not immediately recognised as key workers, preventing their children from attending school while they worked in a frontline healthcare environment.

Another issue raised was the delay in Covid-19 testing availability for community pharmacy staff.

Community pharmacy was initially categorised as a ‘retail setting’ rather than a ‘healthcare establishment,’ which led to entire teams needing to self-isolate following a single positive case.

“This resulted in fewer available staff and increased pressure on remaining pharmacists and pharmacy teams,” the NPA’s legal representative told the Inquiry.

The NPA urged the Inquiry to examine whether the government properly and fairly considered the circumstances of all healthcare workers who contributed to the pandemic response.

“Community pharmacists went to great length to ensure that services were maintained during the pandemic,” the NPA underscored in its opening statement presented at the Covid-19 hearings.

The organisation urged the Inquiry to give careful consideration to their valuable contributions, ensuring that these positive impacts are properly recognised.

Furthermore, the Inquiry was asked to consider the resilience of the independent community pharmacy sector in responding to a future pandemic.

“Community pharmacy entered the pandemic facing financial and workforce crises, due to long-term underinvestment in the network.

“These issues presented significant challenges for community pharmacy in responding to the pandemic and increased the difficulties in providing services to patients and maintaining staffing levels. Underinvestment leading to threats to the network is something that persists to this day.

“However, despite these challenges, community pharmacies showed real resilience and commitment during the pandemic,” the Inquiry was told.

The NPA invited the Inquiry to consider the role of community pharmacy in pandemic planning and in enhancing the overall resilience of the UK’s healthcare system to respond to a future pandemic.