National Pharmacy Campaign to raise our profile with MPs

Dear Member,

The global pandemic arising from the coronavirus has for many transformed our attitudes toward society.  For many of us it is now clear that community pharmacy is part of that fabric which shapes the lives of our communities and the patients we serve.

AIM believes that this is the right moment for pharmacy leadership to step forward and demonstrate the value of community pharmacy, and how we have gone over and beyond during this difficult period.  We want to highlight to politicians that without community pharmacy and the courage and commitment of your teams, patients and communities would have faced real challenges of access to their vital medicines. 

To this end, we are launching a National campaign which recognises the contributions of pharmacy during the COVID-19 crisis and how your teams are proving instrumental in serving patients throughout this hour of unprecedented need.

The campaign comprises three phases:

• Phase one — To capture those images that illustrate the public’s gratitude to pharmacy and what has been achieved during this period. 
• Phase two — To bring to the attention of local MPs the sentiments of their constituents and the challenges that the community pharmacy network is facing. 
• Phase three — To encourage MPs to visit their local pharmacies post lockdown and to raise pharmacies profile in Parliament as politicians of all sides become advocates to our cause.  We want community pharmacies to be championed by as many MPs as possible in Parliament and will be working with all pharmacy bodies to that effect.

Phase one: Through AIM and your support, the campaign will now tell the story by graphically capturing the images and sentiments of patients across the country.  We will depict how lockdowns and isolation have not only driven fear and anxiety but the immense gratitude and respect for pharmacy teams.  We want you to capture those stories of respect, appreciation and love that you have no doubt received from your patients.  The very recognition we often dismiss from our patients and the public.

Our illustration will record not just this appreciation but the advice, support and reassurance you give on a daily basis.

Instructions for pharmacy teams on how to do this: 

We have created an A4 poster with relevant social media hashtags.  Please follow the below steps and see the attached examples:

1. Print the poster on a normal paper and shape it the way you want but keep the hashtags.

2. Ask the patients collecting their medicines to write down their thoughts and actions of the pharmacy teams. Alternatively, you can write it for them on the poster (middle of the paper and as big as possible to be clearly visible).

3. Ask the patient if they are happy to be photographed with the poster and their photo (not their name or any other identifiable data) to appear on social media or media as part of an appreciation campaign for frontline healthcare teams.  You do not need a written consent or signature; only a verbal consent is required, and you can add this on their PMR.  

4. If the patient agrees then ask them to hold the poster to your phone camera and you take a picture.  Please observe social distancing when doing this.

5. To ensure no risk of contamination the same paper cannot be used for several patients so it will be one poster per patient.

6. For patients that are getting their medicines delivered your delivery driver can ask verbal consent and write the message and take the picture on their phone.

7. Once you have the picture, please send these via email to: admin@aimp.co.uk or via Whatsapp to us on: 07508932868 and we will upload on our recently launched AIM Instagram page.

8. Delete the picture from your phone once you have sent it to us.

We have sought legal advice regarding publishing pictures of patients and been advised that only verbal consent is required.  We advise however that you make a note of this consent on patient PMR.

The pictures need to be sent via email or Whatsapp by end of play on Monday 27 April to ensure we can include them.

Phase two: Once the pictures are uploaded on Instagram we will create a virtual postcard of these visuals and would like you to send to your local MP together with a template letter.  This will inform MPs of the depth and breadth of support from their constituents.  We also believe that pictures are very powerful and impactful and can be hugely complimentary to an effective letter to local MPs. 

If you would like to further personalise your letter to your local MP, please get in touch with us.  Examples include name and address of MP, headed templates with your company details etc.

We will also be sending the postcards and the story behind the campaign to local media to showcase the great work your pharmacy teams have been doing through the crisis.  This will include some truly memorable testimonials from you, and if possible, your patients on how you have gone above and beyond.

Please feel free to be as creative as you wish in terms of how you capture the sentiments on picture, get your teams involved in this creativity.  The more personal and heartfelt the messages and the posters, the better. This is why we did not want to give you pre-prepared quotes, or fancy designed posters to supply to patients.

Phase three: Invite your local MP to come and visits your pharmacy.  We will be doing all we can to have as many MPs as possible champion pharmacy and its cause.

This is your moment to shape pharmacies future.  AIM believes that moment is now.  This is Pharmacy’s time and that window is no more than 3 weeks.  The phase one of the campaign must close by Wednesday 30 April.  Phase two will begin from first week of May and phase three after the lockdown.

Let’s influence that future together.

Good luck and enjoy playing your part to influence our future for the better.

Kind regards,

Leyla

Leyla Hannbeck FRPharmS, MBA, MSc, MA Chief Executive AIM

Tel: 0750 8932868   email: Leyla.hannbeck@aimp.co.uk   website: https://www.aimp.co.uk