BMA asks pharmacists to ‘show support’ for GP protest action
• By Ben Lee
The doctor’s union has asked “non-GP practice partners”, including pharmacists, to “show [their] support” for GP collective action set to start this week.
The BMA said this is not “strike action” but collective action “to apply pressure to the government”
The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has announced that it is advising its 6,000 member pharmacies to limit services and reduce opening hours in protest against “unsustainable” funding.
Due to shortages in coal tar scalp ointment, the DHSC has asked the manufacturer of an equivalent product - Sebco - to provide increased stock levels to support patients during this time.
Pharmacies in Scotland have been asked to ensure they have the “appropriate stock” of naloxone – a medicine used to reverse the effects of an opiate overdose – following an “increase in sudden collapse” due to overdoses.
Members of parliament have argued that the government has not “properly considered” the effects of the upcoming National Insurance Contributions (NICs) hike on community pharmacies.
The two pharmacy bodies have urged NHS England (NHSE) to “release immediately” its “long-awaited” economic analysis of community pharmacy, stressing that their “collective voice must be heard”.