UCA-NI NEWS
CHAIRMAN’S WELCOME
2020 was the most difficult year in my career in pharmacy and, so far, 2021 is proving just as much of a challenge.
By Peter Rice, UCA-NI Chairman A
s the pandemic rolls on, the fantastic work undertaken by everyone in and around community pharmacy continues
to amaze me and fill me with pride.
So, it was gratifying to hear that plans are underway by the Department for Health (DoH) to recognise every pharmacy employee with a £500 payment – well-deserved thanks for their hard work.
Thankfully there is light at the end of this very long tunnel with the success of the vaccination programme and the promise of restrictions easing.
Finally, community pharmacy is getting the opportunity to play its part by delivering a COVID-19 vaccination service and, although we await specifics, I’ve every confidence that it will be a huge success and look forward to community pharmacy delivering annual vaccination programmes as part of the primary care team.
Aside from the pandemic, EU Exit and the NI protocol have had an impact on supply and created an extra burden. CPNI and UCA-NI continue to work with DoH and Health & Social Care Board (HSCB) to support pharmacies and reduce the impact.
Be aware that, as part of the agreement, NI will continue to take part in the Falsified Medicines Directive. MRG inspections have now resumed. An inspector will phone the pharmacy, discuss the assessment procedure with the pharmacist and email a self assessment.
The pharmacy has two weeks to complete the assessment whereupon an inspector will review and decide upon further action.
From April, businesses will feel the impact of the annual rise in the National Living Wage and new HMRC rules of off-payroll workers which covers locums. We will bring you more information on these changes over the coming weeks.
The most recent UCA-NI pre-registration training zoom covered resilience, how to build your own resilience and how to support others.
It is true that we don’t focus enough on looking after our own mental health and wellbeing, but this is essential to allow us to help others.
There is no doubt that we are all feeling the stress of the ongoing situation, and this is reflected across society.
UCA-NI has been receiving increasing reports from pharmacies facing a rise in abuse and even
physical violence on their premises or towards their staff and other customers.
The recent attack on a pharmacist for politely challenging a customer, who refused to wear a mask, is a stark reminder and a challenge to all support organisations and stakeholder bodies to continue to improve how we support pharmacists on the frontline. UCA-NI strongly condemns this behaviour and has been in contact with CPNI and DoH regarding this disturbing trend.
To help us build up a clearer picture of the situation, please continue to contact the UCA-NI office team to report abusive or violent incidents.
UCA-NI HAS BEEN RECEIVING INCREASING REPORTS FROM PHARMACIES FACING A RISE IN ABUSE AND EVEN PHYSICAL VIOLENCE ON THEIR PREMISES
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