Superdrug rolls out ‘gender pain gap’ training to all pharmacy staff
The multiple has set out plans to be the “first” to roll out training to its whole pharmacy team to address statistics that show women’s pain is more often overlooked than men’s.
Superdrug has rolled out training on how to address the “gender pain gap” to its “whole pharmacy team”, the multiple announced this week (27 September).
The training aims to address research conducted by painkiller brand Nurofen that shows that women feel their pain is more likely to be ignored or “not taken seriously” than men, it said.
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The study, which surveyed 5,100 men and women across the UK, found that over half (56%) of women said they felt their pain was “ignored or dismissed”, compared to 49% of men.
Superdrug said that its pharmacy staff will complete a “virtual education session” that has been created by Nurofen.
The chain said that so far, “two-thirds of Superdrug’s pharmacists, pharmacy assistants and nurses have completed the training” and that it plans to be the “first UK high street retailer to train its whole pharmacy team on how to address the gender pain gap”.
“Change is coming”
Ghada Beal, Superdrug’s healthcare director, said that “pain is one of the most common reasons patients come into our pharmacies”.
But “women and men often experience pain differently” she continued, adding that ensuring “pharmacists provide fair and unbiased support” can help the multiple to “play [its] part in closing the…gap”.
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Senior medical scientist at Nurofen manufacturer Reckitt Dr Bill Laughey said that he wanted the training “to show pain sufferers that change is coming” by supporting “pharmacy teams” with the free training.
And Streatham Superdrug pharmacist Aqib Hassan added that the training “refreshed [his] awareness of how every patient faces different challenges when it comes to having their pain diagnosed and treated”.
Read more: RPS calls for mandatory pharmacist learning disability and autism training
The announcement comes the same week that the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has called for mandatory learning disability and autism training for all pharmacists.
Meanwhile, C+D revealed earlier this week that NHS England (NHSE) is funding 1,000 places for pharmacists to complete face-to-face “medical role play” training.
