Pharmacy team 24/7 health & wellbeing support service extended until March 2022

The Pharmacy Forum NI Board launched a new health & wellbeing service to support all pharmacy team members during the period April – September 2020 in light of pressures placed on the sector by the Covid-19 pandemic. Thanks to funding received from the HSCB, the service was relaunched in April 2021 for a further six months. Recognising that the pandemic is still continuing to challenge the pharmacy sector, the same support scheme has been extended again until March 2022 with HSCB funding.

The available support includes:

  • A 24/7 telephone helpline
  • Structured telephone/video counselling
  • Financial and legal guidance
  • Access to online support at Inspire Hub

Whether you are a pharmacy technician, dispenser, healthcare assistant, delivery driver or if you are providing any other type of pharmacy support role, you can avail of this service.

Support available is free, confidential and delivered by the independent workplace wellbeing provider, Inspire.

Pharmacist Advice and Support Service (PASS)

We would like to take this opportunity to remind Pharmacists and Pre-Registration Students that all of the above support, along with a range of other services, is currently available to you and your family (spouse/civil partner, children and dependants) through the Pharmacists’ Advice and Support Service (PASS) on an ongoing basis.

Why should I use this service?

The COVID-19 outbreak is a unique and unprecedented scenario for pharmacy workers, particularly as there has been no such crisis in our recent past. Strategies that have worked for you previously to manage stress or pressure might not be so effective during this time.

That’s where this support comes in.

Sometimes just talking to friends or family can help but at other times such as this, it may be better to talk to someone trained to listen who can offer support, guidance and a fresh outlook.

Resources for the pharmacy team

In April 2021, every pharmacy in Northern Ireland received a resource pack with posters and leaflets with information on how to access the service.

The resources can be downloaded from the below links to hand out to your team members:

The Inspire Support Hub is a fantastic resource providing a range of wellbeing information, guidance, screening and intervention tools. The hub guides users through evidence-based self-assessment to personalised wellbeing reports with recommendations to help care for individual wellbeing needs.

For more information, contact the Pharmacy Forum NI and PASS Coordinator: tel. 07951 044876