The Department of Health and Social Care is hosting an engagement panel to get feedback from the users of Covid-19 personal protective equipment (PPE) provided through the Government’s PPE portal.
DHSC invited the PDA to join their PPE engagement panel, which was established to gather feedback from stakeholders on their experiences of PPE supplied by DHSC during the Covid-19 pandemic. Feedback is used to advise future developments and improvements to provision.
As the largest pharmacist organisation, certified as independent from employers and with our membership practicing in all parts of the health system across the UK, we are uniquely placed to bring the perspective of frontline pharmacists to the panel, highlighting both the good and the bad of the provision and management of PPE. We know there can be significant differences in attitudes towards PPE in the varied environments in which our members practice.
Balraj Rai, Policy Officer said; “Throughout the pandemic, the PDA has highlighted important issues around the availability of PPE for pharmacists and pharmacy teams across all settings. It is vital that adequate access to the right PPE is consistently available when and where it is needed, and that it is equitably available for locums and employed members of staff. We also know that provision of PPE is not the end of the story, there needs to be a sustained good practice regarding its distribution, usage, and disposal. We welcome the opportunity to contribute to the ongoing discussions.”
A PDA representative will now be part of the DHSC’s PPE engagement panel going forward. To inform our participation, PDA members who would like to share any views or their experiences of PPE are invited to email policy@the-pda.org