Every day across England, community pharmacy teams are doing extraordinary work under extraordinary pressures. Across the sector, we’re seeing growing workloads, overwhelming medicine supply and pricing issues, and the increasing challenge of meeting patient needs with fewer resources – all of which are shaping the daily reality of frontline work and stretching teams in ways that simply aren’t sustainable.
At Community Pharmacy England, we see these pressures. We hear about them in meetings, visits, emails, phone calls and conversations across the country. But to influence national decision‑makers, we need more than anecdotal stories – we need to capture data. Robust, representative, undeniable evidence that can influence policy, funding and strategic decisions.
That’s why the ‘Pharmacy pressures survey 2026’ is so critical.
Over the past few years, the pressures survey has become one of our most powerful tools in making the case for additional support and investment for community pharmacy. It has provided some key data points for influencing change and understanding the impact of the workload from shortages.
Your responses give us hard facts to use in briefings, negotiations and wider discussions with ministers, officials, NHS leaders and policy influencers. For example, I was able to use the results in direct evidence to the Health and Social Care Select Committee on medicines shortages and again in the House of Lords inquiry into medicines security. Your efforts strengthen our arguments and ensure decision‑makers understand the realities of frontline pharmacy — not just in headlines but in quantifiable terms. When thousands of you respond, the message is impossible to ignore.
Your time makes a difference
I know workloads are already overwhelming and time is scarce, but this is a moment when your voice really can make a difference.
This week, we published the shocking results of our survey on abuse and violence in pharmacies. We have uncovered the racism, violence and abuse that pharmacy teams are subjected to daily. These results have enabled us to bring this to the attention of the police and the highest levels of the NHS.
I strongly encourage all pharmacy owners and team members to take the time to complete the annual pressures survey. Whether you are a pharmacist, technician, dispenser or support colleague, your experiences contribute towards building a more complete picture of the day-to-day pressures in pharmacies. Every response adds depth, accuracy and credibility to the story we are telling on your behalf.
It only takes a few minutes to do, but its impact lasts all year.
Please take the time to complete the survey and encourage your colleagues to do the same. Together, we can ensure community pharmacy’s pressures are not just heard but acted upon.
Take part in the ‘Pharmacy pressures survey 2026’.
James Davies, director of research and insights at Community Pharmacy England
