It comes after the Pharmacists’ Defence Association (PDA) claimed that the multiple was permitting colleagues who are currently unwell with COVID-19 to come into work.

The PDA claimed that it had received a statement from Well's pharmacy superintendent who had confirmed that, in line with company policy, “isolation is a personal choice” and such an approach “is in line” with the government's Living with COVID-19 guidance.

However, the multiple encouraged staff to “take a common-sense approach”, the PDA claimed. The union reported the multiple as telling colleagues: “If anyone presents too unwell to be at work, we encourage/request they remain at home until they feel better (regardless of COVID-19 status)”.

Responding to the claims, a Well spokesperson told C+D today (April 27) that it was “not forcing” any of its staff with COVID-19 to work and was “continuously monitoring [its] protection measures to ensure they are fit for purpose”.

They added: “We are working to the NHS Infection Prevention and Control guidelines in-line with the government’s Living with COVID strategy, and we have ensured we are operating within legal guidelines across each of the UK nations.

“As such, with isolation now a personal choice, we are taking all steps necessary to continue protecting our customers, patients and colleagues.”

 

 

Well: Staff “have our full support and trust”

According to current government ‘Living with COVID-19’ guidance, as of April 1, employers are no longer obligated to “explicitly consider COVID-19 in their risk assessments”. 

 

This is intended “to empower businesses to take responsibility for implementing mitigations that are appropriate for their circumstances”, according to the guidance. 

 

However, under this guidance, employers should also “continue to consider the needs of employees at greater risk from COVID-19, including those whose immune system means they are at higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19”.

 

Meanwhile, government guidance for healthcare workers, published on April 1, advises that patient-facing staff who test positive for COVID-19 should not attend work for five days, returning to work only once they have had two negative lateral flow test results within 24 hours.

 

In its statement, the PDA noted that responsible pharmacists “play an essential role in deciding what is safe for patients and colleagues in the pharmacy”, especially in instances where staff members test positive for COVID-19. 

 

A spokesperson for Well told C+D that the multiple is “proud of the role our pharmacists have played through the pandemic, and how seriously they take their roles and responsibilities as the responsible pharmacist”. 

 

Pharmacy teams have “our full support and trust”, they added, “to ensure the safe and effective running of their pharmacies. This includes informing the pharmacy superintendent’s team of any risks to patient and colleague safety”.

 

The health and safety of colleagues, customers and patients, “has always been our number one priority”, they said. 

 

“The measures we implemented during the pandemic enabled us to keep providing vital healthcare services to the nation, as we continue to do today as the UK adapts to living with COVID-19.”