The overall state of the UK pharmacist workforce matters to PDA members and is a constant issue that is at the centre of debate around all areas of pharmacy, including hospital, primary care and community pharmacy. ARRS, coverage of on-call, pharmacists being on the occupation shortage list, expansion of clinical roles and changes in the community pharmacy employer population are all hot topics which feature wherever and whenever pharmacy is discussed. No part of pharmacy is immune to workforce challenges.
The PDA does not see any evidence that there is a genuine shortage of pharmacists, as was the case in January 2022. However, it is evident that there are significant factors which affect recruitment and retention and the way in which pharmacists choose to work which has an impact on the overall picture. How this is interpreted can lead to mixed messages around the causes and effects of when and how pharmacists structure their employment or decide their workplace preferences.
Some employers have acknowledged that factors within their control, such as pay, working conditions and workplace pressures do have an impact on their ability to recruit. The PDA believes that responsible employers should look to address the root causes to attract and retain pharmacists, for example by improving working conditions, enabling protected training time, and agreeing to fair rewards as well as providing adequate levels of support staff and offering flexibility and career development opportunities.
The data from the 2022 iteration of this survey has been invaluable in challenging some of the rhetoric and informing the PDA’s engagement with a range of stakeholders on behalf of members. The PDA continues to hear members’ concerns loud and clear and is asking for feedback on current working arrangements and intentions through this latest survey to help inform this important debate throughout 2024.
Please complete the survey by noon on Sunday 31 December 2023 by clicking the button below.
The PDA also encourages members to ask their pharmacist colleagues to do so too.
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If you have not yet joined the PDA, we encourage you to join today and ask your colleagues to do the same.
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