How would it affect your career if you had a long-term health problem? Pharmacists with a disability, or those who develop one, need the support of their employer, says Liz Larkin of the Pharmacists' Defence Association 

The Government recently announcing cuts to disability benefits. Members of the PDA Ability Network, a network for pharmacists with disabilities and long-term health conditions, are concerned that the narrative needs to change from blaming disabled people for their disability and seeing them as a ‘problem’ in the workplace, to one which understands many disabled people wish to work but need employers to consider how to make their workplaces inclusive.

Unemployed due to a disability?

The PDA surveyed members last year and of those who responded 40% of respondents said they felt that they had been excluded from the workforce, underemployed or unemployed due to their disability.

In a ‘caring’ profession, where pharmacists are professionals who deliver a clinical service to patients and so are concerned with care, our members find that the same level of support and care is not afforded to employees working in the profession.

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Indeed, 52% of respondents said that they had experienced disability discrimination at work.

Our members find that the same level of support and care is not afforded to employees working in the profession

Interestingly, the GPhC is silent on this matter. Their statistics say that less than 1% of registered pharmacists are disabled. While there may be less disabled pharmacists than the general population, our members are sceptical about this, and believe that members are fearful of reporting that they are disabled, or choose not to because it does not affect their fitness to practise.

Normalise conversations about disability

In order to normalise conversations about disability, we are well to remind ourselves that 1 in 4 of the general population are disabled, that 1 in 2 of us will get cancer in our lifetimes and whilst some people are born disabled, many of us become disabled over time.

Members have spoken at The Pharmacy Show about sudden hearing loss or finding out that they are dyslexic in later life. Other members have found themselves disabled following Covid; the reality is our bodies are not perfect…

So, what can employers do? When surveyed, 40% of respondents said they felt that they had been excluded from the workforce, underemployed or unemployed due to their disability. This is a huge loss of talented, skilled people to the profession.

Disabled staff should not be seen as a ‘nuisance’ but as a real asset to the business

Employers are required to make reasonable adjustments in law and under the Equality Act 2010. However, rather than being forced to do something because it is a statutory obligation, (our members even speak of the difficult of getting a chair in the workplace), would it not be great if it is a hallmark of a good employer to have those conversations with staff on a regular basis, recognising that illnesses and disabilities can change over time or even from day to day.

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This also means not assuming what an employee might need and being open to the fact that this could vary widely from physical adjustments to other adjustments (like regular breaks if someone is in pain).

In addition, members report that 62% of respondents who reported disability discrimination at work said that it was from their manager. There is a real need for managers to be trained properly so that they can have good conversations with their staff which are supportive.

Disabled staff should not be seen as a ‘nuisance’ but as a real asset to the business where their understanding/experience of disability gives them greater empathy to the patients they serve.

Reasonable adjustments for disability

If employers need support with reasonable adjustments, they can contact Access for Work for advice and support. Larger employers may also want to join some of Britain’s biggest brands by joining the Business Disability Forum (BDF) www.businessdisabilityforum.org.uk, the leading business membership organisation on the topic, whose 600 existing members employ 20% of the UK workforce.

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They can provide the necessary best practice and support for organisations to get things right not only for employees with disabilities, but also for customers/service users with disabilities too.

Pharmacists with disabilities and their allies are welcome to join the PDA Disability Network, whether they are PDA members or not, and can join here. This is a safe place for pharmacists to discuss the challenges they face and share experiences in a supportive environment.

Liz Larkin is PDA organiser and co-ordinator of the PDA Ability Network.