Prime Minister Boris Johnson today (Aug 6) visited a community pharmacy in his parliamentary constituency in west London to hear first-hand the experiences of frontline pharmacy teams.
"We talked about the work of pharmacies during the coronavirus pandemic, the flu season ahead and the need for long-term investment to unlock our sector’s potential,” said Sanjay Doegar, owner of Ruislip Manor Pharmacy and a member of the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), who hosted the visit.
Commenting on the prime minister's visit, NPA chief executive Mark Lyonette said: “In the last two months, NPA members have played host to the Health Secretary, the chief executive of the NHS and now also the Prime Minister.
"It is really important that senior figures like this hear first-hand the experiences of frontline pharmacy teams, to give colour and authenticity to the representations made by pharmacy leaders nationally.
"Politicians are getting the consistent message that pharmacy teams are heroes on the health service frontline, and that more support is needed from government – to keep the doors open and for pharmacies to play a key role in Britain’s eventual recovery from the pandemic.”
In June, Matt Hancock visited Market Chemist in central London and NHS chief executive Simon Stevens went to Pavillion Pharmacy in Brixton.
Sukhi Basra