By Gerard Greene, Chief Executive of Community
Pharmacy NI
Coming a little over two years since the onset of the
COVID-19 pandemic, this World Mental Health Week is an opportunity for us to
take stock of the mental health of our community pharmacy teams across Northern
Ireland. In what has been an extremely challenging period, in which the focus
of the health service has largely been on the COVID-19 response, something
which tends to get overlooked is that our health care professionals are not
immune to mental health issues, and I’d like to draw attention to some of the key
pressure points.
As a sector, community pharmacy has been under
significant and ongoing workforce pressures for several years now. For many
members of the public, it represents the front door to the health service, and
with this, the sector is adjusting to increased footfall, staffing shortages
and instances of staff burnout. On top of this, the spread of COVID -19 throughout
our communities as well as self-isolation rules have placed an additional
pressure upon the sector which has meant that all community pharmacy teams have
experienced staffing shortages at some point in the last two years. At several points, we have had 30% of pharmacists
self-isolating, meaning those still working were doing 70-hour weeks.
From the emergence of the pandemic, community
pharmacies across Northern Ireland have been steadfast in their approach and
rapid in their response. In addition to carrying out over a million dispensing
episodes each week community pharmacy teams introduced services including the COVID
-19 vaccination, the distribution of lateral flow testing kits, and the
Emergency Supply Service. They worked additional hours, and showed an
incredible level of commitment, dedication and professionalism towards their
patients and their profession throughout.
This is illustrated well by the fact that community pharmacy
in Northern Ireland has administered almost 350,000 COVID-19 vaccinations to
date which is a huge achievement and a source of pride for the entire network.
What tends to get overlooked is how hard the sector has worked in getting us to
this point. In what has been, at times, an uncertain and exhaustive period for
primary care, community pharmacy has been at the forefront.
The pandemic has underscored the vital link that
exists between community pharmacy teams and their local community. More and
more, we are seeing patients calling upon their local community pharmacist as a
fixture in managing their everyday health needs. Of course, while this is a hugely
positive indication of the direction of travel towards a community-facing model
of healthcare, focus must go towards supporting our community pharmacy teams to
manage additional post-pandemic demands.
In the long-term, we need to think strategically how
we can support and build a robust community pharmacy network. Central to this
is the implementation of the Community Pharmacy Workforce Review to ensure the
workforce is of the right size and has the right skills. Many instances of
burnout, fatigue and stress are a product of a stretched workforce and can be
reduced significantly with the right long-term planning.
A major source of anxiety for community pharmacists comes
with the worrying levels of abuse and violence inflicted upon the sector by some
members of the public. Last year alone, there were reportedly 389 crimes within
community pharmacies in Northern Ireland with around 50 of these violent.
Regrettably this comes after more than the 1,000 crimes that took place in our
community pharmacies in 2019 and 2020.
It was only March of this year during an incident of
aggravated burglary, a pharmacist was stabbed and his pharmacy premises damaged.
Due to the workforce challenges previously outlined, this community pharmacist
had to return to work the following day.
This Mental Health Awareness Week, I would like to
appeal directly to members of the public to continue to display the same level
of patience and respect that they have done up to this point so that our
community pharmacy teams do not have to feel anxious in doing their job. As the statistics show, these are not isolated incidences
but unfortunately form part of a worrying trend. In response, a longer-term and
concerted approach is needed to support safe staffing.
The last few years have seen the costs of providing
community pharmacy services increase significantly. As detailed in a recently commissioned
report, there was an increase of 21% in the cost of the between 2014/15 and
2020/21. Once we factor in the increased
footfall and the soaring cost of living, we can begin to get a sense of some of
the financial pressures that face our contractors.
As Mental Health Awareness Week continues, I want to reflect
on the unwavering commitment shown by the entire community pharmacy workforce.
Stepping up to meet pressures, they continue to be a source of certainty and provide
a continuity of care to patients in their local community. I want to put on record
my thanks for their incredible work to date. The last few years have shown that
community pharmacy is resilient and strong but it is not unbreakable.
