Covid-19 came close to causing the breakdown of the healthcare system – that is the headline finding of the healthcare module of the Covid-19 public inquiry which was published today.
The fact that the system survived is down to the enormous sacrifices of healthcare workers, the inquiry concludes. And key amongst them of course is the community pharmacy workforce.
The inquiry, which is providing the definitive and official account of the pandemic, found that community pharmacies took on an important role dealing with an increase in patients seeking support for both minor and more serious conditions. Patients did this as they struggled to access other health services including general practice.
The inquiry, led by former judge Baroness Hallett, also recognised the “vast undertaking” by community pharmacies as they ensured that clinically vulnerable people continued to receive their medicines.
The inquiry does not shy away from the brutal reality of life today in community pharmacy. The report states that despite costs increasing there had not been an uplift in community pharmacy funding in England since 2016. Last year whilst giving oral testimony to the inquiry former Health Minister, Matt Hancock, stated that community pharmacy is not given the support it needs from the NHS.
In line with this comment the report finds that community pharmacy is not given the same level of support as other parts of the system. They offer the example of the life assurance scheme for frontline health staff which initially excluded community pharmacists and their teams. The report states that the lack of support for community pharmacy was “demotivating and demoralising” for staff providing health care. The report also notes the unacceptable abuse faced by many healthcare workers.
We must acknowledge the commitment of NPA members Jon Rees and Nick Kaye who both gave oral testimony in front of Baroness Hallett and supported the NPA in our formal role as a “core participant” at this inquiry, ensuring that community pharmacy’s story was told and will not be forgotten.
Ultimately the report recognises that community pharmacy played a vital role in the Covid-19 response, and highlights the challenges for the sector with many hundreds of pharmacy closures since the start of the pandemic.
Government needs to review the report and consider how to ensure that its future investment in community pharmacy recognises the need to support the community pharmacy network to ensure that it is in a position to respond to future public health emergencies. The network is at risk, and it would be complacent to expect the sector to respond in the same way next time without proper long-term support.
