Spotlight: pressures facing pharmacists in 2025 (transcription)

The audio transcript from this episode of The Pharmaceutical Journal’s PJ Pod.

Carlotta: Hello and welcome back to The PJ Pod. In this ‘Spotlight’ episode, we’re exploring the results of this year’s PJ salary and job satisfaction survey.

[Clip from BBC Breakfast]

Around 6,000 community pharmacists in England are being advised to start ‘working to rule’ from the beginning of next month unless an agreement can be reached with the government on a new NHS contract… [fades out]

Carlotta: That was BBC Breakfast earlier this year talking about how the very real pressures facing pharmacists had pushed them to the point of taking industrial action. It didn’t come to that in the end, but that’s not to say all their problems were resolved.

As we know, pharmacists across the UK are struggling to find enough funding for staff and medicines, and are increasingly finding themselves trying to do more with less.

I’m Carlotta Eden, interim executive editor at The PJ, and I’m joined today by our new senior features editor, Siobhan Chan, who’s been digging into the data from this year’s survey. 

Hi, Siobhan — welcome to The PJ Pod.

Siobhan: Hi Carlotta, it’s good to be here.

Carlotta: So, start us off. Can you tell our listeners a little more about the survey. What is it exactly and what can it show us?

Siobhan: So, our salary and job satisfaction survey was originally launched eight years ago to highlight salary differences across gender and ethnicity in pharmacy. 

Since then, the survey’s evolved to capture a much more detailed picture, and nowadays it includes questions about all sorts of workplace stresses and other professional issues, as well as pay. 

Carlotta: OK, and so just before we get stuck into this year’s data, give us a sense of some of the issues that the survey’s thrown up over the years.

Siobhan: Well, it’s really grown into a sort of window into the realities of pharmacy life. And there have been some difficult issues raised. Two years ago, we saw pharmacists sounding the alarm on medicine shortages, not just as a supply issue, but something that was putting patient safety at risk. And we heard about how pharmacists were struggling to get trained as designated prescribing practitioners.

And then last year, we found almost one-third of Black pharmacists had faced racism from colleagues. 

So it reveals a real range of issues about the lived experience of UK pharmacists. 

Carlotta: It does, that’s really awful. It’s not just about numbers now is it? It’s people telling us what’s happening behind the scenes, what’s making the job harder. What can you tell us about this year’s findings?

Siobhan: Yeah, it makes for tough reading, to be honest. One of the things that really stood out this year is that staffing shortages are still the biggest barrier to pharmacists doing their jobs properly. That probably won’t surprise our listeners.

More than half of survey respondents acknowledged this. It’s the same story as last year. The message is still loud and clear: nothing’s changed.

Carlotta: Yeah, I think that’s what’s so striking. Every year, we hear similar frustrations: too few staff, rising demand, not enough funding. And here we are again.

Siobhan: Yep. And it’s not just making the job harder. Just over two-thirds  of respondents said that a lack of staff is now compromising safety. In hospitals especially, people talked about chronic understaffing. Pharmacists told us they can’t provide cover on wards, are often working alone, or feeling so rushed that they’re worried about making mistakes.

Carlotta: Wow, OK. And that worry about making mistakes, on top of all those other pressures, must make for a pretty stressed workforce?

Siobhan: Yeah, it’s no big surprise. Pretty much everyone we heard from said they feel stressed at work. The biggest driver is that demand just keeps piling on, and there aren’t enough people around to share the load.

One community pharmacist told us they had to work several full days with just one member of staff, and when it’s really busy, they’re left to serve customers on their own.

And over in hospitals and general practice, some of the stresses are down to critical incidents or oversubscribed hospital capacity. Some clinical colleagues are stretched and need to prioritise immediate care needs. We heard from some that this makes it hard to even respond to emails.

We’re also seeing this shift where pharmacists are shouldering different types of professional responsibilities, especially in GP settings and the community. Things like more direct patient care, clinical consultations and independent prescribing. That’s not a bad thing, but that pressure is building and it’s starting to show. One in four respondents even said abuse — physical or verbal — has increased over the past year, especially in community pharmacy. So the emotional toll is huge.

Carlotta: It’s really hard to hear that. I wonder, was there anything positive at all that we can take away from this year’s results?

Siobhan: There is, actually. Despite all the pressures, we’re seeing signs that the profession is continuing to push forward — especially when it comes to independent prescribing. 44% of respondents are now qualified prescribers, compared to 40% last year.

Carlotta: So, OK, even while the system’s stretched, people are stepping up and expanding what they can offer?

Siobhan: Exactly. And more are training too — so there’s this real momentum. Of course, access and opportunity are still barriers, especially in community settings, but the intent is there. It shows that pharmacy professionals want to keep developing professionally – they just need the right support to do it.

Carlotta: Yeah, they do. Okay, so in terms of support and learning, it sounds like there’s clearly still room for improvement?

Siobhan: Yeah, nearly half of respondents said they hadn’t accessed any professional support, mentoring or protected learning time in the past year and it’s a missed opportunity. Because where people do get that support, you can really see the impact it has.

Carlotta: And is anyone in government, or in the wider system, actually doing anything to improve access to these supportive measures?

Siobhan: There are some moves in the right direction. In Scotland, pharmacists can apply for NHS-backed prescribing training through NHS Education for Scotland, which also supports them to build this skill into their practice. 

Carlotta: Nice, OK. And what about in England and Wales?

Siobhan: Well, in Wales, there’s a learning programme backed by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and Health Education and Improvement Wales. It rolled out in 2024 and has just been extended through 2028, to support pharmacists to deliver the pharmacy independent prescribing service. 

Carlotta: And England?

Siobhan: So NHS England is funding more than 3,000 independent prescribing places for the year ahead, reflecting the new NHS ten-year plan’s focus on expanding pharmacists’ roles in prevention. 

We’re also waiting on the autumn workforce plan, which health secretary Wes Streeting says will outline how new technology might help close productivity gaps. 

Carlotta: OK, so if that’s done well, I guess tech could relieve some of that pressure. 

Siobhan: Well, that remains to be seen. It’s also worth pointing out that beyond training, professional bodies and the government health department are calling for protected learning time and better supervision frameworks. As we know, giving pharmacists more autonomy only works if they’re supported properly.

Carlotta: Absolutely. You mentioned the NHS ten-year plan, which was announced back in July. As we covered in the PJ’s digital July issue, it did little to offer many answers and, if anything, raised even more questions — especially around funding and training.

Siobhan: So, the government’s three big shifts from sickness to prevention, hospital to community, and analogue to digital means we can expect to see a bigger role for community pharmacists, perhaps in the proposed neighbourhood health centres. But a lot is still uncertain so we’re hoping the workforce plan will bring more clarity.

Carlotta: It’s definitely needed. OK, let’s get back to the survey. Are there any final takeaways you can share with our listeners?

Siobhan: I think the last thing that really stood out was how much pharmacists are still managing to achieve every day despite the pressures — and this sense of commitment to support patients to get the right care. That’s clearly what motivates our survey respondents, but they just need the right support to match.

Carlotta: I agree, nicely put. 

OK, well thanks Siobhan for sharing all that with us.

And if you took part in the survey, thank you. It really does gives us the insights we need to keep pushing these conversations forward. And make sure to keep an eye out in The PJ next year for details on how to take part in our 2026 survey.  

Siobhan: And if any of our listeners have any thoughts or experiences they want to share, we’d love to hear from them.

Carlotta: Definitely. 

As always, you can get in touch with us on social media using #PJPod or email us at editor@pharmaceutical-journal.com with any future topics you’d like us to cover on the podcast. We’ll put those details in the show notes. 

Thanks again for this whistlestop tour of the survey, Siobhan. 

Siobhan: Thank you Carlotta, it was good to chat.

Carlotta: OK, that’s it for this Spotlight episode. Thanks for listening. Bye.

Siobhan: Bye.