Patients are being urged to use pharmacy
services responsibly to help minimise unnecessary pressures on frontline staff.
In an open letter published by the National
Pharmacy Association (NPA) and
Company Chemists Association (CCA), pharmacy leaders asked the public to
‘act in the interests of the whole community’.
Related Article: PCN funding increased to cover pay rise for ARRS pharmacists
This will help pharmacies to maintain vital
services while they deal with the influx of patients vising pharmacy during the
Covid-19 outbreak.
The letter, which featured on ITV news last
night (16 March), outlines how patients and customers can help lessen the
burden on the NHS, by reducing the spread of the virus and helping to keep the
supply of medicines flowing smoothly.
The letter comes following
a spike in common medicines shortages across the country, as many patients
begin to panic buy.
It asked patients to:
Related Article: Turning plastic waste into sustainable paracetamol
- act responsibly by not entering a pharmacy if they have symptoms of
infection, such as a cough or fever
- have friends or family who are symptom-free collect essential
medicines for them
- only buy the medicines and supplies they need right now
- follow any instructions from pharmacists and pharmacy teams
- treat pharmacy teams in the way they would wish to be treated
- keep up to date with the latest online advice from the NHS.
NPA chief executive Mark
Lyonette said: ‘We are asking the public to help us to continue to do our vital
work on the NHS frontline.
‘If we act together in our
communities, we can all do our bit to limit the impact that this virus has on
the nation’s health.’
Related Article: Generic launched to replace discontinued Otomize ear spray
Chief executive of the
Company Chemists Association, Malcolm Harrison, added: ‘We understand that
people want to feel prepared given the uncertainty that coronavirus is
creating.
‘However, it’s important
that everyone plays their part in reducing the spread of this virus and helping
us to maintain the supply of medicines for all.’
Have your say
Please add your comment in the box below. You can include links, but HTML is not permitted. Please note that comments are not moderated before publication and the views expressed are those of the user and do not reflect the views of The Pharmacist. Remember that submission of comments is governed by our Terms and Conditions. You can also read our full guidelines on article comments here – but please be aware that you are legally liable for any libellous or offensive comments that you make. If you have a complaint about a comment or are concerned that a comment breaches our terms and conditions, please use the ‘Report this comment’ function to alert our web team.