Amid the grief surrounding the tragic death of a 13-year-old girl, spare a thought for the pharmacy confronted with an emergency but unable to help. It’s difficult to imagine the horrendous panic taking place.

Blame games are inevitable when traumatic and remorseful deaths occur. Should a coffee shop ensure procedures are followed when informed of allergies? Of course it should. Do people always follow procedures?

Should coffee shops be equipped with a range of adrenaline auto injectors like EpiPens? They could be – although is a teenage barista supposed to grab one and attempt a life-saving procedure? Let’s not rely on coffee shops for healthcare. It’s every bit as pointless as asking for a skinny mochaccino in Day Lewis.

Read more: Pharmacist unable to prevent Costa allergy death due to EpiPen shortage

Around 30 people a year die from allergic reactions. Many more – 1,500 a year – die from asthma attacks. And heart attacks claim 30,000. Around 30% of those fatal attacks take place in public places.

The inquest into the death of 13-year-old Hannah Eniola Angela Ayomipo Jacobs found a “national shortage of adrenaline auto injectors” had been a contributing factor for the pharmacy being out of stock of the dosage required to help her.

Coroner Dr Shirley Radcliffe said she was unsure if “all chemists have adrenaline auto injectors in stock for emergencies” and said there is “a risk that future deaths could occur unless action is taken”.

She has sent her findings to Wes Streeting and GPhC chief executive Duncan Rudkin, among others. She stressed that “action should be taken” and instructed them to reply by October 15.

That’s 56 days to shore up supplies then begin equipping pharmacies with a mixed-dosage range of EpiPens. In time, build it up to a standardised kit of life-saving equipment, including an AED defibrillator and a range of asthma inhalers. Not a first-aid kit, but a life-saving kit in every community pharmacy.

Read more: Coroner: Patient died from overdose after GP pharmacist ignored warning

Under the counter, so the next time a child or a panicking parent desperately asks a pharmacy for help, there is a better chance they will get it. It keeps reinforcing community pharmacy as the front door to healthcare. And most of all, it helps prevent avoidable deaths. 

The DH has told C+D it will “carefully consider” the views and any recommendations made by the inquest into Hannah's death. It also said it’s in “ongoing discussions with the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation about improving support for people with allergies.”

Not to let slip any frustration I might feel here, but even the quote reads like it was said underwater. I’m sick of the endless inertia. Does the DH really need another review to confirm what is staring it in the face? Natasha Ednan-Laperouse was 15 when she died after eating food from Pret a Manger in 2016, almost a decade ago. 

The lack of any urgency to implement a tangible solution is pitiful. I absolutely support Radcliffe’s call for action. Can you do this, Department of Health? Can you execute a relatively small project like this at pace - or at least inside 56 days? Or do you still need more time to establish a requirement that’s repeatedly been proven in the worst way imaginable.