Pharmacy stakeholder group produces workforce wellbeing report
Community Pharmacy England and others have contributed to a report examining the impact of workforce wellbeing on pharmacy teams and how it can be addressed.
The Pharmacy Workforce Wellbeing Roundtable Report has been published by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) and Pharmacist Support following a roundtable discussion held earlier this year. Community Pharmacy England Director of Member and LPC Support, James Wood, was in attendance at the event alongside representatives from the NHS, professional bodies, employers, trade unions, educational bodies and regulators.
Informed by the roundtable, the RPS and Pharmacist Support have sought to provide an overview of the current wellbeing situation being faced by pharmacy teams, the evidence of the impact of poor wellbeing, and provide some recommendations on how to support the pharmacy workforce.
It highlights the very same concerns raised in the results of our 2023 Pharmacy Pressures Survey, which found 78% of pharmacy team members report that their work is having a negative impact on their mental health and wellbeing. The Workforce Wellbeing Report references this, as well as noting our findings around widespread pharmacy workforce shortages due to both underfunding and staff availability.
This report is part of the continuous campaigning of various pharmacy bodies to promote the wellbeing of our pharmacy team members. The stakeholder group met in May 2023 to discuss the results of RPS’ annual Workforce Wellbeing Survey and this new report draws from the key insights shared and highlights the critical themes that emerged from the discussions. It states that the responsibility for the wellbeing of pharmacist and pharmacy teams does not sit with one body but rather requires a system-wide approach that includes all of those who attended the roundtable as well as individual employers, pharmacy owners and pharmacy team members.
The release of Workforce Wellbeing Report – and the pledge of support issued after the roundtable event – marks the commitment of Community Pharmacy England and the other organisations to initiate positive change and prioritise with wellbeing of those working in pharmacy teams. The roundtable group will meet again early next year to asses progress and foster ongoing collaboration.
