Christin Hume
The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) is to consider how it could support workforce wellbeing surveys for all registrants, including pharmacy technicians, following a cross-sector pharmacy roundtable on wellbeing across the pharmacy profession
The move was one of seven action points agreed at a second workforce wellbeing roundtable, hosted by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) and charity Pharmacist Support, which was held in February 2024 and attended by organisations including Community Pharmacy England, the Company Chemists’ Association, the Care Quality Commission, the Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists (GHP) and the GPhC.
Participants agreed to use their respective areas of influence “to create lasting change” for the pharmacy profession. Other actions agreed included commitments for the GPhC, RPS and the Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK to work together to identify regulatory standards that have an impact on workforce wellbeing; all organisations to proactively advocate for protected learning time for the profession; and the GHP and the Pharmacists’ Defence Association to help ensure that learning time is adequately provided for within the pharmacy workforce.
Commenting on the roundtable discussions, James Davies, director for England at the RPS, said: “The constructive dialogue and collective commitment to action demonstrated by all organisations attending in advancing the wellbeing of pharmacy professionals was very encouraging.
“There’s no quick fix or magic bullet to solve this complex issue, but ongoing focus by organisations working collaboratively together can definitely make a difference.”
Danielle Hunt, chief executive of Pharmacist Support, said: “Our recent roundtable discussions highlighted some of the challenges faced within the profession and the importance of creating positive workplace cultures to address workplace wellbeing issues.
“It’s essential that we create opportunities so that all voices can be heard and are valued, and that individuals feel empowered to raise concerns and seek support. We believe by working together as a group we can create a profession where everyone feels valued and supported.”
The RPS hosted a similar roundtable at its London headquarters in May 2023, which focused on the impact of pharmacy workforce wellbeing on patient safety and concluded that addressing burnout in the pharmacy profession required “systemic change”, in addition to support for individual pharmacists.
Earlier in May 2024, the RPS and Pharmacist Support announced a formal agreement to “align plans and work more effectively together to increase the impact of the charity and better support RPS members”.
The organisations represented at the most recent roundtable agreed to meet again in six months’ time to assess progress and identify further actions.
