The pharmacies that withdrew from the service did so “for a variety of reasons, rather than just due to closure”, a UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) spokesperson told C+D yesterday (January 17).

However, they were unable to disclose further details because the pharmacies could otherwise be identifiable, they said.

“Our latest figures show nine out of 10 pharmacies are currently offering free lateral flow test kits for collection,” the spokesperson added.

“Only ten pharmacies nationwide have requested to withdraw from this important service,” they said.

 

Abuse towards pharmacy teams

 

C+D reported earlier this month that pharmacies in England have struggled to get adequate stock of lateral flow test kits to meet demand, with some pharmacists sharing anecdotes of abusive behaviour from patients.

Association of Independent Multiple pharmacies (AIMp) CEO Leyla Hannbeck told C+D today (January 18) that while her members continue to deliver this service, “the abuse levels by some members of the public have been unacceptable and we have zero tolerance [for] such behaviours”.

“It has been very hard especially over the Christmas period because people think that once they have a collect code from the [government] website, pharmacy will always have stock,” Dr Hannbeck explained.

Dr Hannbeck flagged this issue in an article on the level of abuse experienced by pharmacy teams published on the Daily Mail earlier this month.

Members of the public later commented on the story to condemn “the actions of those behaving aggressively toward our teams”, Dr Hannbeck added.

 

Majority of NPA members still offering service

 

Gareth Jones, director of corporate affairs at the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), told C+D today that “the vast majority” of NPA members are continuing to offer the Pharmacy Collect service, “despite the general situation with work pressures and the over-engineered process for supplying test kits”.

“It’s one of the many ways pharmacies have helped the country through the pandemic, leveraging people’s good access to the pharmacy network,” he added.

The Pharmacy Collect service launched in England on March 29, 2021. The service changed in October 4 last year, and has since then asked pharmacists to write down and later manually insert a 16-digit collection code on the NHS Business Services Authority manage your service portal to claim for service-related fees.

To facilitate this process, a locum pharmacist based in Manchester created a website this month that aims to remove “at least half of the work” pharmacy teams must undertake when recording the lateral flow test kits they have distributed.

 

Have you been on the receiving end of abuse or aggressive behaviour from customers and/or patients? Share your experience on the C+D Community or if you'd prefer to remain anonymous, contact [email protected]