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Boots pharmacists have agreed to a 4% pay rise, following the multiple’s negotiations with the Pharmacists’ Defence Association (PDA) Union.
In a joint statement published on 30 September 2025, the PDA Union and Boots said that pharmacists working for the company would be given the pay increase from 1 November 2025, “which recognises the unique role of the pharmacists within the community pharmacy sector and the business”.
As part of the pay deal, a minimum salary of £46,240 per year full-time equivalent (FTE) for independent prescribing pharmacists will be introduced from 1 November 2025.
The statement said that the minimum salary has been agreed “in recognition of the evolving role of independent prescribers and the future direction of the profession”.
There will also be a minimum salary of £43,520 FTE per year for one-year qualified pharmacists from 1 November 2025.
The statement added that Boots pharmacists acting as designated prescribing practitioners (DPPs) will receive a £300 one-off payment for each independent prescribing learner supervised.
A shortage of DPPs — which are needed to supervise pharmacists receiving independent prescribing training — has been reported following the change that requires all foundation-year pharmacists to have independent prescribing training from summer 2025.
In July 2025, a parliamentary written answer from health minister Karin Smyth revealed that NHS England was still in the process of understanding how many DPPs were in place to support trainee pharmacists from the end of July 2025.
The Boots/PDA Union statement said: “The settlement highlights the critical role that pharmacists at Boots play in providing accessible healthcare to the community.
“Their contributions are deeply appreciated by both Boots and the PDA Union who have a joint commitment to collaborating to ensure a rewarding future for all pharmacists at Boots.
“Both negotiation teams thank pharmacists for their continued commitment to looking after patients and communities.”
The PDA Union began collective bargaining on behalf of Boots pharmacists in 2019.
