Over the coming weeks and months, every pharmacist will have an important contribution to make and possibly become engaged in activities that they have not previously experienced.
We will continue to champion the interests and needs of pharmacists in this evolving situation.
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The PDA is supporting calls to ensure there is full disclosure of evidence to the Covid-19 Public Inquiry to ensure the facts become known and the country can be better prepared for future pandemics.
In February 2021, the PDA launched 'A Thousand Little Ships', a proposal to maximise the NHS mass vaccination capability when demand was expected to dramatically increases once the second doses began. Analysis of vaccination data shows the successful contribution that pharmacists working in communities have made.
The Scottish Health Secretary, Humza Yousaf, has responded to a direct question about Well Pharmacy's Covid policy, confirming that that if staff test positive for COVID-19, regardless of whether they have symptoms, they should not attend work for a minimum of 5 full days.
The PDA is reminding Responsible Pharmacists (RP) that they play an essential role in deciding what is safe for patients and colleagues in the pharmacy, when faced with staff members at work who have tested positive for COVID-19.
It has been confirmed that temporary flexibilities in the provision of NHS pharmaceutical services introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic in England will end on 31 March 2022.
The PDA has seen a rise in incidents of violence and aggression reported by pharmacists working in Covid-19 vaccination centres.
The UK government has announced that the mandatory Covid-19 vaccination of healthcare workers for deployment in certain CQC regulated roles will no longer be implemented on 1 April 2022 as it is no longer considered proportionate.
NHS guidance for employers in healthcare in England outlines planning and preparation for the implementation of regulations around Vaccination as a Condition of Deployment (VCOD) for healthcare workers.
More than 5,000 members of the PDA are already significantly involved in the delivery of Covid-19 vaccinations and have been for some considerable time. However, some NHS officials have asked the PDA to help identify if there are any additional pharmacists who will consider joining the vaccination effort at this critical time. In response, the PDA is contacting members across the UK to establish a list of those additional pharmacists willing to participate.
Health Secretary, Sajid Javid has confirmed that the Government is to introduce Covid-19 vaccinations as a condition of employment for all frontline health and social care workers.