PDA launches election manifesto, urges government to invest in workforce  

PDA’s election manifesto emphasises the need to allocate ringfenced funding for staffing to address workplace pressures and burnout

The Pharmacists’ Defence Association (PDA) has launched its election 2024 manifesto, urging the next government to recognise pharmacists’ unique clinical skills and invest in the workforce.

It has also highlighted the need for a sustainable NHS, integration across the system and effective governance.

The Association has urged the next government to allocate ringfenced funding for staffing to address workplace pressures and burnout, and to ensure access to high-quality learning and development opportunities in protected learning time, similar to other healthcare professionals.

Additionally, they are advocating for pharmacist undergraduates to be granted access to the Learning Support Fund.

The PDA’s manifesto highlights the importance of acknowledging pharmacists' clinical knowledge and expertise in medicines, urging the next government to provide the digital infrastructure necessary for pharmacists to integrate with other healthcare settings and deliver patient-centric care.

Furthermore, the manifesto calls for recognition of the pharmacist workforce at government and system levels through existing legislation around social partnerships and fair work.

The PDA also called for an NHS and care system that is “fit for all” by

• Ensuring that appropriate care is delivered at the right time and place by an appropriately trained healthcare professional.
• Prioritising patient safety around medicines.
• Keeping the NHS free at the point of use, including the abolition of prescription charges in England, aligning with elsewhere in the UK.
• Focussing on Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) for all staff and patients so that they feel more comfortable at work and when accessing NHS services.
• Supporting a zero-tolerance approach to violence and abuse in pharmacy.

The PDA has also outlined different ways the next government can achieve the asks and make better use of pharmacists’ skills and expertise for the benefit of all NHS patients and improve population health.

Read the PDA’s asks of the next government and its proposals to achieve them here.