Henry Gregg, Chief Executive of the National Pharmacy Association said:
"We have been clear to the Covid Inquiry that community pharmacy did not get the access to the PPE they needed at the start of the pandemic, despite being one of the only health care providers open through much of the pandemic and numerous warnings from the NPA and others.
"Pharmacies will be furious that at a time that the government wasted billions of pounds on untried providers, they had to dip into their own pockets to protect their own staff.
"Pharmacy teams undoubtedly took significant risks, particularly during the early stages of the pandemic, to serve their patients. In some instances pharmacy teams were forced to use the same PPE for weeks on end. Tragically, some pharmacy staff died from the virus.
"The government must learn the lessons from this inquiry and treat pharmacies as equal partners in the NHS, providing them with the same access to support in a timely manner."
