COVID-19-INDUCED pressures including staff shortages and patients presenting with symptoms of the pandemic virus are elevating stress levels amongst the profession, Pharmacists' Support Services (PSS) Executive Officer, Kay Dunkley, has revealed.
Dunkley told Pharmacy Daily that the lockdowns seen across the country at various times over the last month were impacting pharmacists, "especially those on the frontline".
"Call numbers to PSS have increased overall, in part related to lockdowns and the stress that brings, but also due to increased awareness that it's okay to seek support," she said.
"We encourage everyone to seek support during these lockdowns and at any time when they are experiencing stress.
"All services supporting mental health are seeing an increase in people contacting them.
"Unmanaged high levels of stress can lead to burnout and mental health issues such as depression.
"The issues pharmacists and pharmacy staff are experiencing include people presenting to them with symptoms of COVID-19 and also being listed as exposure sites and then having to go through the deep cleaning process.
"In NSW many pharmacists and pharmacy staff are having to go through regular COVID-19 testing which is unpleasant and many staff are having to go into quarantine leaving their colleagues in the pharmacy understaffed.
"Some pharmacies and pharmacy departments have split the staff into teams to ensure that services can continue to operate but then have less people on the ground at any one time.
"Some pharmacies are having difficulty attracting locums and relief staff due to their location in COVID-19 hotspots which also places pressure on the remaining staff and makes it hard to operate a pharmacy."
Dunkley encouraged pharmacists to take breaks and have some down time.
"Take your rostered days off so that you can return to work with renewed energy," she said.
"Also we need to support each other and be pleasant in our interactions.
"Teamwork is essential and we all need to support each other."
PSS's hotline is available on 1300 244 910 between 8am and 11pm every day of the year.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 23 Jul 21
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