The Prime Minister announced yesterday new measures to help to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking in the House of Commons, he praised the ‘absolutely outstanding job’ that pharmacists are doing on the frontline within communities and pledged support for pharmacies and their staff.
Robbie Turner, Director of Pharmacy and Member Experience at RPS, said:
“The risks to the country’s health from increasing numbers of COVID-19 cases has put unprecedented demand on pharmacists across all healthcare settings. It’s more important than ever that pharmacists and their teams are kept safe as infections continue to rise.
“It is essential that pharmacists and their teams are properly risk assessed so those at high risk of COVID-19 transmission can be protected within the workplace. We’ve been calling for action on this on behalf of our members throughout the crisis and we expect all employers to undertake appropriate risk assessments for pharmacy staff across primary and secondary care. Lessons must be learnt from the first phase of the pandemic.
“Pharmacy teams must also be protected with adequate supplies of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), quick access to testing and other safety measures, as well as support for their own mental health and wellbeing in dealing with this difficult period.”
Pharmacists should have received an email inviting them to register for the Government’s PPE Portal.
Find out more about what we are calling for at our coronavirus policy asks page.