It almost seems a lifetime ago since my Christmas blog of December 24, 2019. This time last year, COVID-19 was almost unheard of in the Western world and we were living blissfully unaware of the scale of the biggest healthcare crisis in modern medicine that was about to hit.
Pharmacy teams were busily ploughing through the Christmas rush and looking forward to a January lull. There was excitement for 2020 – in January this year, I even went as far as to say 2020 would bring more opportunities for pharmacy.
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing, self-isolating and two national lockdowns to date, pharmacy has had seemingly no end of hurdles to jump this year. One of the apparent opportunities came in the form of a national medicines delivery service for England that was neither well planned nor well-funded.
There was a huge surge in demand faced by pharmacy teams as patients, panic stricken by the impact of lockdown, began to request prescriptions for all their medicines, including ones for long-forgotten inhalers from many years ago. Pharmacy, adaptable as ever, was quick to pick up the pace.
It was a trying time and our teams faced increased abuse from the general public as they tried to implement stricter social distancing measures and explain the shortages of some medicines. Running tighter on staff numbers due to shielding and self-isolating, 2020 has given pharmacy teams every reason to be exhausted and at risk of burnout.
And we must not forget those among our pharmacies who have been lost to COVID-19, their families and the teams who have worked through their grief.
The pandemic has hit those in healthcare hard, but we should also take time to acknowledge the huge feats that have risen out of the flames of disaster. The use of technology has advanced rapidly, with healthcare professionals using new ways of contacting patients. Certainly as a primary care network (PCN) pharmacist, it has been exciting to see the impact of telephone and video consultations on patients who would normally struggle to attend the surgery.
The progress for remote learning is something that I hope continues, as it improves access to learning across the profession. It has been a particularly tough year on the pre-registration pharmacists who will now have to sit their postponed exam next year – they deserve to be commended for their efforts and know that we are proud of their progress.
Nevertheless, ‘tis the season to be jolly. While we eagerly anticipate the ongoing distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine, we have a lot to be hopeful for. We can celebrate the impact that pharmacy teams have had on healthcare during the pandemic, and the incredible efforts that every member of the pharmacy sector has put into 2020. We can hope that the arrival of the vaccine in the UK heralds the final stages of the pandemic.
There will have been times this year when we questioned our ability, times when we wondered whether we can keep going in the face of adversity, while holding our heads in our hands and struggled to see a way forward. Although 2020 has been a year we will never forget, we should try to remember it as the year the pharmacy sector overcame huge challenges and ensured the safe provision of medicines to a nation in need.
Pharmacy teams must realise the positive impact they have on their local communities. More patients will now recognise their unwavering support. I hope that 2021 brings with it some much needed positivity, opportunity to rest and recover, and, finally, a chance to safely reintegrate into our communities. I wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy (and safe!) farewell to 2020.
Laura Buckley is a locum and PCN pharmacist based in Hull