One of the major reports I have had to prepare since I joined the PDA in 2021 was the PDA’s response to the independent Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry. We were invited to participate as part of the STUC response detailing government and management actions during the pandemic, and how these actions impacted workers such as pharmacists.
Pharmacists in every sector were heavily involved in the response to the crisis. Community pharmacists and their teams were one of the few groups within the NHS that continued to see patients face-to-face on a daily basis. As the PDA reported, we never closed our doors or turned patients away.
But it was a daily struggle and many pharmacists, including myself, were deeply affected by their experiences. Many patients viewed their local pharmacy as an island of calm, often because they were only admitted one at a time, but the reality was that it was a difficult time.
Patients never saw us in tears in the back of the shop. They were unaware of the levels of abuse we endured, the incidences of violence, and the stress of waiting for the inevitable illness or inadvertently taking it home to vulnerable family members. They were unaware of the fallout that affected our home lives. While friends would say “Oh, at least you get to go out every day”, I would reply “Be careful what you wish for, you may just get it one day.” It was not an easy time to work, but we did it and we did it well in my opinion.
In early 2023, I was asked to prepare a report on the impact the pandemic had on us, as pharmacists, and on our patients. A report could relate how government, NHS and company managers had made decisions, both good and bad, which had affected us. I soon realised this was an opportunity to tell our story, the pharmacists’ story, which is important because although we are trusted and respected by our patients, we are very often not heard.
It would be an understatement to say I was nervous, and the next 75 minutes seemed to pass in seconds. However, the pharmacists’ story has been told and recorded for posterity. Hopefully some good will come out of it.
No other Scottish pharmacy body made the effort to contribute to the inquiry. A recording of my appearance at the impact hearing can be found here. My appearance is at 1.44.20 to 2.57.58.
A transcript of the court proceedings for the day can be found here. My submission is reproduced from section 30 to 75.
A witness statement that I had to submit in advance of the court appearance can be found here.
Maurice Hickey, PDA Head of Policy for Scotland
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