Pharmacy Representation - Response to the National Contractor Vote

Following concerns about the wellbeing of our pharmacy teams during some of these tough times, one of newer members Andrea Ford, has put together a useful article of information for pharmacy teams.   We would recommend you familiarise yourself with what is available and be vigilant with your work colleagues and look out for anyone who may need support.



Pharmacy WellBeing Support
 
It has been a challenging and unprecedented couple of years for everyone in community pharmacy, both at home and at work. Faced with cost-of-living concerns, increased workload, funding challenges and ongoing staffing shortages, we are now entering the cold and flu season with Covid-19 rates on the rise again. Despite facing a challenging winter ahead, we and our teams continue to work hard but unfortunately increasing numbers of us are feeling burnt out. 

While we strive to improve the health and wellbeing of our patients, it is important not to forget about our own wellbeing along the way.
 
With this in mind, we would like to raise awareness of the wealth of free resources available from Pharmacist Support to help support, maintain and improve your mental health and wellbeing.
 
Pharmacist Support is an independent, trusted charity providing a wide variety of support services to pharmacists and their families, former pharmacists and pharmacy students.
 
On the Pharmacist Support website https://pharmacistsupport.org/  you will find a range of free resources to support you both at work and at home. These resources cover a breadth of topics from mental health and wellbeing to physical health & finances. They also include videos, workshops and printable resources.
 
Free counselling sessions are available to those who are experiencing mental health issues such as anxiety and depression, a change in family circumstances, bereavement and other psychological issues. There is also Listening Friends available for pharmacists to reach out and speak to a peer in confidence over the phone.
 
You can sign up to receive free wellbeing resources direct to your inbox for you and your team at https://pharmacistsupport.org/about-us/contact-us/newsletter/
 
If you haven’t already done so, we would encourage you to take a look and please spread the word to anyone you feel would benefit from this support.
 
As always, thank you to everyone in our community pharmacy family for all your incredible work.