The Scottish Health Secretary, Humza Yousaf, has responded to a direct question asked in the Scottish Parliament relating to the concerns raised by the PDA about Well Pharmacy’s Covid policy. The Health Secretary confirmed that if community pharmacy staff test positive for COVID-19, regardless of whether they have symptoms, they should not attend work for a minimum of 5 full days. This means that Well pharmacy will have to change their policy in Scotland and no longer allow Covid positive staff to work in their pharmacies.
In April 2022, the PDA reported that Well Pharmacy, one of the country’s largest pharmacy chains and a leading member of the Company Chemists Association (CCA) had confirmed to the PDA that they were operating a policy that allowed members of staff who have a positive COVID-19 test to work in their pharmacies.
The PDA sought clarification from the pharmacy business after several members raised concerns that symptomatic employees with a confirmed COVID-19 infection are being allowed to attend the pharmacy. The pharmacy superintendent then confirmed that this was in line with company policy. This policy permitted those currently unwell with COVID-19 to work in patient facing roles with clinically vulnerable patients and colleagues, in what should be considered a safe healthcare setting.
After the PDA raised these concerns, a question was asked in the Scottish Parliament about Well’s policy:
Written Parliamentary Question S6W-08333:
Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Scottish Labour Party): To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the actions of Well Pharmacy, in light of reports that the company is insisting that staff who test positive for COVID-19 continue to work when they are in patient-facing roles and dealing with clinically vulnerable people.
Humza Yousaf, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care: ‘We expect health and social care employers, including community pharmacies, to follow the guidance on managing staff with symptoms of a respiratory infection, or a positive COVID-19 test.
This specifies that if staff test positive for COVID/19, regardless of whether they have symptoms, they should not attend work for a minimum of 5 full days. If they work with patients or service users in face-to-face settings, they can return to work if they have had 2 consecutive negative LFD test results (taken at least 24 hours apart).’
The parliamentary answer supports the earlier PDA comments that the policy of this pharmacy multiple was at odds with the NHS Guidance on Managing healthcare staff with symptoms of a respiratory infection or a positive COVID-19 test result.
The PDA are now calling on Well Pharmacy to urgently and publicly confirm they have amended their policy and will now follow the NHS guidelines across all of their operations throughout the UK. This confirmation is critical for employed and locum pharmacists who may be Responsible Pharmacists in Well pharmacies, as well as for their teams and patients.
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Well Pharmacy will allow Covid positive staff to work in their pharmacies
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