At a breaking point: What governments and regulators need to do to help pharmacists survive COVID

With pharmacists pushed to their limits by COVID-19 and its Omicron variant, governments and regulators must step up with supportive measures that include financial help to cover higher staff wages and public funding of all health services provided by pharmacists, according to the Canadian Pharmacists Association. Pharmacy practice should also be expanded to its full scope and harmonized across the country, with pharmacists authorized to travel between provinces to pitch in during emergency situations. In a call to action that outlined eight recommendations, the CPhA urged the country’s lawmakers and professional colleges to do more to help its members, who are struggling as they face a third year of COVID-19. “We're at a new stage in the pandemic and quite honestly we're at a breaking point," said Dr. Danielle Paes, the association's chief pharmacist officer. "As we've done throughout the pandemic, we're advocating today to support the pharmacy profession and give them the tools and resources they need to serve their patients and, really, to survive." Read: Chief pharmacy officer of CPhA says ivermectin stuffed animal incident a 'scary' reminder To this end, the association is asking all provinces and regulators to: Remove unnecessary administrative and regulatory burdens on pharmacies, which must typically work with disparate and complex systems for scheduling vaccines, billing and record keeping. Give pharmacy staff–especially those administering COVID-19 vaccines, dedicated access to COVID-19 testing and PPEs, without complex registration and reporting requirements. Expand the labour pool of pharmacists and pharmacy support staff through measures such as assistance with costs related to increased wages, financial relief, and licensing support for pharmacy technicians and foreign-trained pharmacy professionals. Enable full scope of pharmacy practice for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. This includes the ability to administer vaccines–which pharmacists in some parts of the country aren’t allowed to do–providing therapeutic substitutions and prescribing for common conditions. Expand public funding to cover health services provided by pharmacists–as they are for nurses and physicians–and allowing virtual of these services where appropriate.Standardize a full scope of pharmacy practice across all jurisdictions in Canada. This will improve health equity for all Canadians and make it possible for pharmacists to practise anywhere they’re needed, especially in crisis situations. Ensure pharmacy staff have access to the resources they need to work, such as childcare and mental health resources. Continue to integrate pharmacists and pharmacy groups into policy planning decisions–such as expansions of vaccine eligibility–that could have a direct impact on the profession. It’s also important that pharmacy teams be notified in advance of such policy changes to ensure efficient implementation. How quickly–and easily–these recommendations can be turned into action will depend on each jurisdiction, said Dr. Paes. The need for change is definitely urgent. "Our work is so essential and when we don't have the resources you need to do our work, we see the impact on patient care and the communities we serve," said Dr. Paes. "We're offering these calls to action as a starting point and hope that the provincial governments and regulators will act on our recommendations." Read: A tale of two countries: Staffing shortages squeezing pharmacy here and south of the border

At a breaking point: What governments and regulators need to do to help pharmacists survive COVID

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