Pharmacy Daily | Priority testing a must for pharmacy

NSW health authorities are being urged to provide priority access to COVID-19 testing for pharmacy staff working in areas where they are required to be tested every three days.

In a joint statement released by the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) and union group, Professional Pharmacists Australia (PPA), backed the testing regime, but raised concerns that health workers have been forced to wait for several hours to be swabbed.

PSA National President, Associate Professor Chris Freeman, warned that without priority access to testing for pharmacists, community pharmacies may not be able to continue to serve patients.

"Our doors have stayed open, providing access to life-saving medicine and health care, and we are now playing a critical role in the vaccine rollout," he said.

"With pharmacists in hotspot areas now administering a large amount of COVID-19 vaccines, it is crucial that they continue to remain open - and to do that, our pharmacists and pharmacy staff must be given the highest priority at testing facilities."

Guild National President, Trent Twomey, said delays in testing pharmacy workers could stall the vaccine rollout.

"It is a matter of common sense that these community pharmacists be given priority access to testing facilities so they can get back to helping protect their communities without delay," he said.

"I urge the NSW Government to act on this as a health priority."

PPA President, Dr Geoff March noted the testing requirements were effectively extending the working hours of pharmacy staff "without any kind of compensation or priority listing".

"Pharmacists are adding hours onto their already long days to wait in extremely long testing lines," March said.

"This is a significant burden on Australia's already exhausted health workers."

The PPA also called on pharmacy owners to provide "paid worktime" for employees to get tested.

PSA NSW Branch President, Chelsea Felkai, previously raised the issue of priority access to testing for health workers suggesting "they should have their own lane" at test centres (PD 20 Jul).