As the UK responds to the COVID-19 pandemic, community pharmacies in Cumbria are working tirelessly to ensure that everyone’s medicines and healthcare needs will be met over the coming days and weeks.

Pharmacy teams are a critical part of the NHS and in the past weeks they have seen demand for Over- The-Counter (OTC) medicines, other products, advice and reassurance soar.

Pharmacy teams are under intense pressure at the moment, working on the front line of the health service often without any protection for their own health.

  • To help pharmacies to cope under the increasing pressure, today Community Pharmacy Cumbria is asking patients and members of the public to:
  • Avoid pharmacies if you are showing symptoms of COVID-19: If you have a dry, persistent cough, fever or shortness of breath, please avoid entering your local pharmacies as you would any other healthcare setting.
  • Be patient: All pharmacies are under immense pressure and working around the clock to ensure that you get what you need.
  • Order medicines as normal: There is no need to stockpile medicines. Ordering extra prescriptions and buying more over the counter medicines than you need will contribute to disruption to the medicines supply chain, which is otherwise robust.

Pharmacies will remain open wherever possible, but you may see that some are now having to reduce the hours during which they can admit members of the public. This is to ensure that pharmacy teams can carry out tasks such as preparing medicines and restocking shelves so that these vital services can continue safely.

Most pharmacies can be contacted by phone and email, and many have their own websites and social media channels – please use these methods to contact your pharmacies if you are displaying the symptoms of COVID-19.

Jeff Forster Chief Officer of Community Pharmacy Cumbria said:
“Community pharmacy teams are a really important part of the NHS, and like all other NHS workers they are under immense pressure at the moment. We are today asking patients and members to the public to take some very simple steps to help protect these teams so that
pharmacies can continue to carry out their critical roles and ensure that everyone continues to get the medicines, help and support they need, when they need it.”