What do Black pharmacists say about their professional progress?

In recent years, various attempts have been made to better understand and address racial disparities within pharmacy leadership positions. The Inclusive Pharmacy Practice initiative^​1​, the publication of the first national overview of the varied experiences that registered pharmacy professionals and wider team members face in NHS trusts, and the development of the ‘Pharmacy Workforce Race Equality Standards‘ (PWRES) report are all examples of attempts made to define the challenges and acknowledge evidence of racism, discrimination and inequality in career progression that exist within the NHS. 

Within this context, it is necessary to consider the underrepresentation of Black pharmacists within senior positions specifically and to ask why it is that more Black pharmacists do not put themselves forward for roles, such as board membership at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) and other national pharmacy organisations.

To explore these questions, a survey was conducted to examine Black pharmacists’ experience and explore their perceived barriers to career progression, such as job applications for senior roles and non-executive/senior committee membership. The work was led by the first Black RPS board members, Tase Oputu and Lola Dabiri, to ultimately give voice to the Black pharmacist experience and encourage others to engage in their own and the profession’s development. 

The survey comprised 11 questions, and a total of 41 participants completed the survey, which was open for one month between January and February 2022. The respondents worked in a range of settings.

A total of 16 respondents had not applied for another post to their current one in the previous 18 months, with various reasons given, including lack of experience/exposure/skills/training (n=5), unsupportive manager (n=2), previous experience of racism (n=2), leaving pharmacy (n=2), happy with the status quo (n=1), lack of suitable opportunity (n=1), owning their own pharmacy (n=1), currently in training (n=1), and not applicable (n=1). 

On racism, one respondent said: “[I’ve] previously [been] in leadership positions with poor support and lots of subtle racism from all quarters, so I now choose to locum to make up for extra income while I keep my sanity.”

Another reflected on the outcome of the lack of support from their manager: “[I’ve] been told that I was not ready for the role, despite doing the same work level as other newly employed band 8 pharmacists. I was told that I did not have enough experience but was then required to train the new staff on how to do their higher band position.”

There were 25 individuals who had made 31 applications between them for a new role in the past 18 months. Of these, 16 were for a more senior role, seven for a non-executive/trustee/committee-type role, four for a board-level role, two for band 6 pharmacist posts (after completing their training) and two for a training role. 

A total of nine individuals out of the 25 (35%) had succeeded in getting a role they had applied for, of which six had applied for a more senior role, one for both a more senior role and a board-level role (although it is unclear if they obtained both), and the other three were training roles (n=2) or a band 6 role (n=1). Of the seven other individuals who had applied for a non-executive/trustee/committee-type role or a board-level role, none were successful. 

Reflecting on the roles that they had applied for previously, 19 respondents felt the recruitment/selection processes for these were not fair, whereas 17 respondents felt they were fair and five respondents did not answer. 

Commenting on perceived unfairness, one respondent said: “I just thought, despite the fact there were two highly qualified black pharmacists applying for the role with 50 years pharmacy experience between us, neither of us got the role and, ultimately, out of five successful candidates, three were White, two Asian and no black candidate.”

Another respondent added: “I applied for a role in a membership committee, and I feel I had a lot of experience to bring. I noticed someone in my organisation was successful; however, they had less experience they could demonstrate at that level. More black representation is needed in leadership roles.”

Those who did not feel they had faced unfairness commented. For example, one respondent said: “I got an interview, which is what I expected based on my qualifications and experience.”

Another respondent added: “For all the roles I’ve applied to within pharmacy across the years, I’ve felt that I’ve had a fair experience.”

Answering the question on whether the respondents felt empowered to seek opportunities, 24 respondents answered ‘Yes’, while 15 respondents answered ‘No’, and two respondents did not answer. Of those who said yes, example reasons included: “Personal drive and ambition to see Black pharmacists in senior roles and to open doors for future generations.”

Those who said ‘No’ gave the following example responses: “Over the years, I have tried to seek out mentors. One has met up with me when I ask… I almost suspect just to beef up her CV, too. Some have just not been forthcoming… I mean if you want to help you know what to do to help… I wish there were more black pcist [sic.] at the top that I could approach for advice, too. Moreover, someone that understands my challenges as they have gone through similar… some non-black [pharmacists] make it seem [like it’s] such a favour if they help so you can’t speak your mind out…”

“I feel I need to make well-calculated career moves. As although a hospital may hire me, they may not want me to progress beyond the role they hired me for. Recently, I spoke to a colleague (who isn’t of black descent) about a hospital I was interested in working in and he point-blank told me not to bother as they may hire me as a [band] 7, but they don’t let Black people progress beyond that. When I asked around, this was indeed the case as [band] 8a and above were only White people.”

Survey respondents were also asked to leave general comments and suggestions for the new RPS board members to pursue. The respondents gave a variety of responses including:

• A research suggestion to measure and compare qualification and experience levels of White, Asian and Black pharmacists in senior/lead roles;
• Descriptions of overt racism and discrimination experienced;
• A need for greater focus on representation and development of Black pharmacists, specifically with a rejection of the term ‘BAME’;
• Expanded use of anonymised recruitment processes and representative interview panels; and
• Increased visibility of Black pharmacists within professional activities more generally, rather than confined to activities focused on Black pharmacy.

Conclusion

This survey offers a snapshot of the experiences of Black pharmacists within the profession, highlighting both successes and significant challenges in career progression. Despite varied perceptions about the fairness of recruitment processes, a notable portion of respondents expressed hesitancy to apply for new roles and dissatisfaction with the feedback received. The findings align with broader research indicating that Black pharmacists face undue disadvantages. This study underscores the need for continued, concerted efforts to dismantle structural biases and create a more inclusive and equitable pharmacy workforce. 

While this research provides valuable insights, it is a starting point, emphasising the necessity for ongoing dialogue and action to address the barriers hindering the progress of Black pharmacists. There is a sparsity of research examining the Black pharmacist experience. What is clear is that the Black pharmacist workforce experiences undue disadvantage in various aspects relating to their work. For example, the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), commissioned research to understand qualitatively why in comparison to other groups, those of Black-African descent performed less well than other groups in its registration assessment.

Additionally, the GPhC has reported^​2​ that Asian and Black pharmacists are overrepresented in its fitness-to-practise concerns. Specifically relevant to the current study, The Pharmaceutical Journal’s annual salary and job satisfaction survey^​3​ in 2022 reported that between 50–60% of respondents from different minority ethnic backgrounds had been promoted at least once, compared with 80% of White respondents. In the minority ethnic group, those who were Black were least likely to have been promoted (52%) compared with South Asian (58%) and Chinese (59%) pharmacists. 

Arguably, while efforts are being made to address perceived and measured unfairness and inequality within the Black pharmacist workforce, parity is still not achieved. What this survey adds is a descriptive and contemporary examination of Black pharmacists’ perception of their own career development via applications submitted to senior roles and other developmental opportunities.

For more information about the survey, including details on methodology and limitations, please contact the corresponding author at: Tase.Oputu@rpharms.com

Tase Oputu, chair of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s English Pharmacy Board and associate director of medicines optimisation at NHS Kent & Medway Integrated Care Board

Parastou Donyai, chief scientist at The Royal Pharmaceutical Society

Lola Dabiri, director at Mufth Ventures Ltd and member of the Scottish Pharmacy Board (2021-2024)