The Pharmacists’ Defence Association (PDA) has highlighted the need for pharmacy contractors to provide adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) to pharmacists and their teams to guard against Covid-19, shingles and other viruses.
According to the PDA, health and safety issues have been raised by members regarding protection from infection, with some concerned that adequate PPE is not always made readily available.
In correspondence with the PDA, David Webb, chief pharmaceutical officer for England, confirmed that for locums and employed pharmacists, ‘pharmacy contractors are responsible for the health and safety of staff providing pharmaceutical services’.
Mr Webb added that advice from NHS England (NHSE) is that ‘pharmacy contractors review national guidance on infection prevention and control available here’.
According to the PDA, some community pharmacists have expressed concerns about seeing patients with shingles as part of the Pharmacy First service, particularly when the staff member might be pregnant.
Guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) states that pregnant individuals should avoid contact with people with shingles.
Mr Webb told the union that ‘pharmacy contractors should cover this as part of standard operating procedures and risk assessments’.
He added: ‘Under health and safety legislation, employers have a legal duty to ensure suitable and sufficient risk assessments are carried out and adequate control measures are put in place to reduce the risk of harm to staff and patients, so far as is reasonably practicable.’
The PDA has urged pharmacists concerned with any health and safety issue at their workplace to highlight it through the relevant company procedures and contact their local PDA rep.
The concerns raised by the union follow a warning by NHSE that community pharmacies are among the ‘most likely’ places to encounter measles, with staff instructed to ‘take appropriate action’ and wear PPE.
I am a locum pharmacist and I have seen a increase this year in patients being referred to the pharmacy with their child who has suspected scarlet fever or measles because the GP won't see them face to face due to the risks to the GP themselves, surgery staff and patients. The GPs almost always sends them to us with a verbal referral. When they come to the pharmacy, there is usually one very small consultation room with no windows. I have seen these rooms used by staff to have breaks as well as seeing babies and other people for consultations and other services such as Pharmacy First referrals for a range of infections, and other services such as blood pressure monitoring. We do try to clean in between but it's impossible to be certain the room is safe. I no longer feel safe working in a pharmacy due to my age, and the age and conditions of my family so I'll be giving up a job I love as the risks to my health are too high. How do other pharmacists feel about our risky work environment?