Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:38 pm on 8 December 2020.
Trefnydd, could I ask you for one statement? It could be a statement after the health Minister meets with the community pharmacy sector next week. It could be a written statement if it's good news. If it's an oral statement, perhaps we could have it on the floor so we could question it. It's to do with the role of community pharmacies in stepping up to the mark during this coronavirus pandemic that we've had. When GPs were forced at the start of this pandemic to actually shut their doors to public-facing arrangements, it was the community pharmacists that stepped in. They stepped in when physiotherapy and optician services and dental services were unable to perform and they stepped in to help in emergencies as well. And they've done this against real challenges with their own staff, some of whom have been shielding. So, would it be possible to have a statement that looks at how community pharmacies have served us during this pandemic and, indeed, how they can be remunerated for the additional costs they've had? I'm aware that Community Pharmacy Scotland, and those in Ireland and England as well, have been bringing forward support. It would be great to see, after the meeting with the health Minister next week, that we had a similar package brought forward to recognise people like Gareth Rowe of Nantymoel and Ogmore Vale pharmacies, and others, who really stepped up to the mark during this crisis.