{"id":28168,"date":"2021-03-25T10:24:01","date_gmt":"2021-03-25T10:24:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=28168"},"modified":"2021-03-25T11:54:47","modified_gmt":"2021-03-25T11:54:47","slug":"unseen-heroes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=28168","title":{"rendered":"Unseen heroes"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In January last year, on ITV\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s This Morning<\/em>, the topic of pharmacists came up \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and the ensuing conversation caused an uproar among those in the profession.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mocked by host Sam Delaney as \u00e2\u20ac\u0098pretend doctors\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 who \u00e2\u20ac\u0098effectively [just] go and fetch the medicine\u00e2\u20ac\u2122, rightfully indignant pharmacists took to social media after the show to highlight the massive role they play in virtually every aspect of the health service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The controversy happened just weeks before the UK would be engulfed in a deadly pandemic — and little did pharmacists know then that their vital skills would become even more instrumental in the months to come as the NHS faced up to its biggest challenge in generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sadly, misconceptions of the pharmacy profession have persisted throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, and despite having stepped up to the plate in a major way to save lives, they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve received little recognition in the last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Behind the scenes work<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists (GHP) is now aiming to set the record straight. Unite caught up with GHP vice-president Ewan Maule, who works as head of medicines optimisation for Sunderland CCG.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He recounted how the pandemic response set in motion a vast operation within the health service which had pharmacists at its heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bAs with other frontline healthcare workers, there was an immediate push to suspend some of the normal work and move towards the acute response,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he told UniteLive. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bEvery patient in hospital obviously has a lot of involvement with hospital pharmacists both clinical and otherwise, and our immediate aim was to work to get as many people out of hospital safely as possible to free up capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThen immediately after that we moved on to preparing the hospitals for the pandemic itself. An awful lot of the work of the pharmacists was very behind the scenes there,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Ewan explained. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bFor example one of the biggest demands for the pandemic was for oxygen. As a medicine, oxygen falls under the remit of pharmacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe saw a lot of hospitals designating new areas to be intensive care units. One of the main requirements for this is that you have an adequate oxygen supply to those other areas, which many hospitals at the time didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have. Pharmacists took the lead on this to get that oxygen supply up and running and to make sure that it was safe.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was a particular challenge later on in the pandemic with the Nightingale Hospitals, which were built essentially from the ground up using conference centres.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThese new hospitals had all the same clinical requirements as those intensive care units but often in completely new-build facilities in conference buildings,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Ewan explained. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThere was a huge amount of work done in preparing these new hospitals, not just with oxygen but the general logistics of safety and security and storage of medicines in facilities like that as well. All of that was completely led by pharmacists.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout the pandemic, many pharmacists were also seconded to work in intensive care units supporting doctors and nurses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe main aim of these pharmacists was to try and take as much of the non-direct patient care work from frontline services such as nursing and medical staff. One way they did this was within aseptic units in hospitals, where injectable medicines are prepared. They went into overdrive preparing these medicines so that they didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have to be made up on the wards.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another massive challenge for pharmacists especially in the first very strict lockdown was delivering medicines to patients \u00e2\u20ac\u201c who would normally be in-patients coming in to hospital for elective procedures \u00e2\u20ac\u201c whose care was now shifted to being delivered at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bGetting medicines out to those patients under the circumstances of lockdown was a huge logistical operation and again this was all led by pharmacists,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Ewan noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0098History in the making\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even as recently as six months ago, there was a widespread sense that there may be no impending light at the end of the Covid tunnel, that perhaps we would simply have to accept living with, and dying from, the fatal virus for many more months or even years to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then, in December, the world\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s first successful vaccine was approved by regulators in the UK, and then the next, and the next. The creation, production and now massive dissemination of the various Covid-19 vaccines, and the speed with which all of this happened, is nothing short of a miracle. And again, pharmacists played an essential role from the very beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bAll of those vaccines that are now being rolled out were developed in clinical trials — and every clinical trial has a lead pharmacist attached to it,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Ewan explained. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bGiven the size and the scale of those clinical trials and the complexity of things like the Pfizer vaccine having to be stored at -80C degrees, this was another vital role that pharmacists played. As far back as April, very soon after the pandemic started we had staff focused on helping to support and develop those clinical trials.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And now, pharmacists are yet again playing a huge role in the actual roll-out of the vaccines. GHP rep and primary care network (PCN) pharmacist Seema Varma is one of the legions of pharmacists who are taking part in this historic effort, and she couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be prouder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt is a truly collective effort and a privilege to be part of the national vaccination programme,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she told UniteLive. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt is history in the making, coordinating and vaccinating the adult population under a strict timeline which has subsequent consequences for the economy.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Describing their work at vaccine clinics as \u00e2\u20ac\u0098a well-oiled machine\u00e2\u20ac\u2122, Seema and her pharmacist colleagues are the first in the door early in the morning to prepare the vaccines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe follow science-based procedures to prepare and dilute the vials to a state that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s suitable for vaccination,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she explained. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s important to be organised from the start of the session otherwise it can slow down the whole clinic. Especially with the Pfizer vaccine, we work to strict timelines because these have to be used within days of being taken out of its storage temperature of -80C.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m proud to say we haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t wasted any doses,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she added. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bStock control and waste prevention is a key component of what pharmacists are doing in the vaccination programme. Every dose is accounted for against the patients in attendance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe prepare the required quantity of vials based on patient appointments, and at the end of the day, we reassess doses against patient numbers, and so then prepare one vial at a time.  It is a  meticulous process so no doses are wasted \u00e2\u20ac\u201c  every single dose is precious.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0098It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s lovely getting to see patients\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contributing to the vaccination effort has also allowed Seema, who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s worked in various roles in pharmacy over the last twenty years but only just recently started her current role as a PCN pharmacist in August, to meet her colleagues and speak to patients face-to-face for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s lovely getting to see patients,<\/ins> most of whom are very grateful,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bA few weeks ago I was vaccinating patients on immunosuppressant medication and many of them hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t left their homes in over ten months because they were shielding. They were so pleased to have a day out to see us.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Seema finds her work personally rewarding, the going hasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t always been easy \u00e2\u20ac\u201c when she and her colleagues first began their vaccine work, they were regularly working twelve hour shifts. Seema said she also found it challenging under lockdown not being able to meet with patients in her normal work as a PCN pharmacist, where she works with GP practices and patients in the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bOrdinarily I would be doing medication reviews face-to-face, getting patients to bring in their medications and talk about them,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she explained. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a very different experience having to do it over the phone, as is not being able to meet fellow colleagues within your area.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the challenges, Seema wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have it any other way \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the earnestness with which she speaks of helping patients is an all-too familiar sentiment expressed by all NHS workers, no matter what role they play. But that total commitment to caring for others is now being exploited by a government which has yet again betrayed these workers who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve saved so many lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0098Slap in the face\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Commenting on the government\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s recent announcement that it would recommend a mere one per cent pay rise \u00e2\u20ac\u201c a real terms pay cut \u00e2\u20ac\u201c for NHS staff this year, Seema said she had only one word \u00e2\u20ac\u201c \u00e2\u20ac\u0098disbelief\u00e2\u20ac\u2122.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bNHS staff have gone into work day in and day out caring for sick patients at great personal risk to themselves,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bMany have sadly passed away, while others have experienced their first  mental health episode as a result of the stress of the pandemic.  Additionally, they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve had to deal with the stress of potentially bringing Covid home to their families, or job losses within the family. But they go into work every day — because they care about their patients and colleagues. The pay rise announcement was a slap in the face.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ewan agreed and slammed the government\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s excuses about affordability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe government can afford what it wants to afford — we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen a lots of waste in other areas of government spending, so I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think that there can be any doubt that this is a political decision rather than an economic one,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ewan said he fears for the future of the pharmacy profession if the government continues to go down the same road of failing to value NHS staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bOnly recently pharmacists were added to the occupational shortage list, so we already know that there are not enough pharmacists in the country to be able to fulfill the vacancies that we have at the moment,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bGiven the massively important and specialist roles that pharmacists have undertaken throughout the pandemic, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a real risk that if we don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have good approaches to recruitment and retention,  if another pandemic were to hit in ten years\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 time, we may not be able to manage it as we have done now.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Seema, she hopes that proper pay rise for all NHS staff will also one day be matched with greater recognition that pharmacists \u00e2\u20ac\u201c unseen heroes \u00e2\u20ac\u201c deserve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think the efforts of pharmacists are really acknowledged or appreciated by the media or by the government and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a shame,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe contribute in many different ways towards healthcare; be it in research, clinical trials, education and training, optimising medication in hospitals and GP practices and in more patient-accessible services like community pharmacies, or as working as Independent Prescribers. However, there is a lack of awareness of what this profession is capable of and actually does \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it is more than counting tablets.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As pharmacists across the UK continue to do their vital work in so many different areas of the healthcare system, Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists (GHP) president Roisin O\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Hare has a special message for members and the public. Watch in the clip below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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