‘Pharmacies have been amazing’

THE chief executive of the National Pharmaceutical Association asked if the mayor would like to thank the capital’s 1,800 community pharmacy teams for staying open throughout the pandemic?

“Pharmacies have been one of the unsung heroes,” Khan said. “I’ve been to pharmacies on many occasions over the last few weeks and months, not least to receive my flu jab. What people don’t realise is that they’ve been on the frontline. Many people couldn’t go and see their GP, they couldn’t get an appointment, they didn’t have the confidence to use technology. The human beings who were available, who were experts, were the pharmacists.

“It’s amazing what pharmacies are doing. If you’re an unfortunate victim

“Although huge progress has been made over the last 20 years, the police like other institutions in our city – the judges, courts, education, health service, journalism – all

nof domestic abuse and domestic violence, some pharmacies are providing safe spaces where they’ve got a room set aside. There are signs in pharmacies to tell you which is a safe space pharmacist, and you can Google that as well. They will give you assistance, so you can flee an unsafe home.

“So, whether it’s giving the vaccine for the Covid virus, whether it’s the flu jab, whether it’s health advice, whether it’s preventative advice, whether it’s safe spaces, I’m just so in awe and grateful to pharmacies across our city.

“Many of them, by the way, are small independent businesses, family businesses, doing a great job. Community pharmacies have really shown the public how brilliant they are.”

of them suffer from not recognising the potential of people of colour, not supporting them the way they should. And that’s a societal problem. You’re talking about the race

disparity report, where they say there’s no structural racism, our lived experience is different. You talked about the police, but I think it’s unfair just to pick on them.”