Sick pay gap ‘puts pharmacy staff under pressure to work while ill’

Four Scottish pharmacy workers became ill with whooping cough after a colleague returned to work too soon, a pharmacy association chief has revealed.

The technician was forced to return to work because pharmacy workers are cut out of NHS sick pay terms, leaving with them with basic payments despite carrying out health service work, Pharmacy Defence Association (PDA) policy head Maurice Hickey said.

The outbreak happened in the south of Scotland and affected more than half of a chemists’ shop staff with the likely risk of a spread to several patients in the community, he added.

“Four out of seven staff caught whooping cough, three arguably should not have, and patients must have been put at risk with further spread in the community made possible,” said Hickey. “That is relevant to staff and patients when we are currently seeing an upsurge of many infectious diseases after lower levels of immunisation and a reduction in herd immunity.”

A child under the age of one died after developing whooping cough, Public Health Scotland reported last July. Last month the government agency warned of an increase in the disease to more than 7,000 cases last year, up from 73 in 2023.

Whooping cough is highly contagious bacterial infection which affects the lungs and airways, with the potential to make babies and young children seriously ill. Coughing and exhaustion can last three months or more.

“Whooping cough is a bacterial disease which we must take seriously,” Hickey added.

He said risk comes from cash-strapped local pharmacy technicians not being able to afford the financial cost of taking time off work.

“Although local community pharmacies are expected to carry out NHS work, they are not deemed to be NHS sites or covered by NHS sick pay,” he said. “The hourly rate for many pharmacy technicians is barely above the minimum wage and many only offer basic statutory sick pay of £116.75 a week.

“Meanwhile, NHS rules that cover staff illness are included in the NHS attendance policy and are designed so that those who contract an illness do not infect each other and, most importantly, patients.

“That policy is clear – NHS staff who are ill with an infectious illness should remain away from work and will continue to be paid in full for the period during which they are excluded.

“The reality is that illness is often a hazard of a patient-facing job in a community pharmacy.

“Pharmacies in high streets, supermarkets and the like are different from hospital pharmacies because their health care is run largely by businesses the NHS contract to carry out work.

“The staff deliver NHS services, but they are not part of the NHS and are not covered by NHS arrangements like the attendance policy, which covers sick leave.”

Pharmacy jobs are being advertised online in Scotland at £12 an hour for a 40-hour week – 40p above the hourly minimum wage and below the £12.60 real living wage, which is calculated by The Resolution Foundation for a basic decent standard of living.

“The reality is that many pharmacy technicians are under considerable pressure to return to work too early because they cannot pay their bills on £115 weekly basic sick pay,” Hickey added.

NHS Scotland careers information states that pharmacy technicians are expected to offer face-to-face support and guidance to patients with health problems, from sore throats to intimate infections, as well as ensuring the safe running of the pharmacy.

They are also expected to give patients help in getting the most from their medicines.

A crucial part of the jobs involves interpreting prescriptions, preparing medicines and other healthcare products, reviewing and recording medicines, monitoring and ordering stock.

Hickey raised the infection risk to patients and staff at the STUC Disabled Workers conference in Clydebank recently.

The Scottish Government said: “We are grateful to all those who contribute to our NHS to keep us safe. NHS staff who are directly employed by a Board are entitled to sick pay as per the terms and conditions of their contract of work.

“Community pharmacy owners are responsible for the terms and conditions of any of their employees.

“It would not be appropriate for the Scottish Government to comment on the terms and conditions of those who are employed by a community pharmacy owner.”