OFFERING free health advice is nothing new for pharmacists, but growing pressure on the British health system has pharmacists warning that they will refuse to provide more unfunded services.
With ambulance staff and nurses set to strike before Christmas, and junior doctors to vote on industrial action in Jan 2023, the British Government has been looking to pharmacists to step up and ease pressure on the health system.
However, Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies CEO, Leyla Hannbeck, told iNews that the profession "simply cannot do it without additional funding".
"We cannot be asked by the National Health Service (NHS) to do more and more work for free," she said.
"It's just not happening.
"It's not a possibility to add more on pharmacists' shoulders without support.
"We've got workforce challenges in that the minimum living wage is going up.
"Energy bills are going up, everything else is going up and we've kept our doors open throughout the pandemic.
"We just cannot simply take on more and more without anyone helping with our costs.
"If they give us funding, we've always said we're very happy to do everything we can do.
"Community pharmacies are at the heart of the community... without nagging and moaning about doing it, but enough is enough."
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