A COVID-19 lesson not to be missed

Kamran Abbasi’s editorial of 10 November ¹ argues that State failure to manage the COVID-19 pandemic has been exacerbated by commercial opportunists in the test and trace fiasco. I agree.

However, there is one sector at the interface of the National Health Service and the commercial world that has stepped up impressively. That’s pharmacy. Let’s hope the joint Health & Social Care and Science & Technology Committee inquiry into lessons to be learned pays attention to this because it holds enormous potential for more effective use of stretched healthcare resources in the future.

As general practioners and their staff moved largely to telephone and online consultations, community pharmacies became the front line for face-to-face interaction with many patients, staying open throughout the crisis. One thing that’s clear from this is the preparedness of the public to seek advice at a pharmacy, but also how easy it is for a pharmacist to facilitate self-care. As more people decided not to see their general practitioner with a minor illness (saving NHS time and resources in the process), many went to their pharmacist for over-the-counter medication or advice. That seems to have worked well.

As part of SelfCare Week (16–22 November), five national bodies ² have now called for a national strategy on self-care. Such a strategy could be a rare but important positive coming out of the COVID-19 tragedy and we should capitalise on it.