As well as ensuring PDA members understand and can exercise their rights at work, the PDA also works constructively with employers and other stakeholders across the sector, and beyond, to improve conditions for patients and pharmacists. Following the annual survey by its charity partners we supported a face to face roundtable discussion which included representation from the NHS, community pharmacy employers, regulators, pharmacy schools and other stakeholders.
The discussion explored the actions needed to support pharmacy teams so they can continue providing safe and effective patient care. As part of the session PDA Chairman, Mark Koziol presented the latest results from the PDA’s Safer Pharmacies Survey which provides an insight into the reality of the workplace environment.
The eleven organisations present then agreed and issued a joint statement, recognising the shared endeavour to support pharmacy teams across all sectors of practice to deliver patient care.
Joint Statement on the Impact of Pharmacy Workforce Wellbeing on Patient Safety
Pharmacy organisations, regulators, unions and employers heard about the well-recognised correlations between the wellness and wellbeing of students, academics and the clinical workforce and the impact that this has on workforce effectiveness, patient safety and patient outcomes.
With continued pressure on pharmacy teams and the health service, it is more important than ever to work together so that patients can continue to access high-quality, adequately staffed and safe pharmacy services.
Prioritising staff wellbeing and leadership within systems supports higher-quality and safer patient care and improves workforce retention.
The collaborative roundtable discussion highlighted the importance of supporting pharmacy teams across all sectors of practice to deliver patient care through healthy working environments, access to appropriate rest breaks, and opportunities for professional development.
Staff should feel empowered to use their professional judgement in the interests of patients and the public. Staff must also be given the support, training, and supervision they need to help enable them to complete their professional duties.
Solutions to the challenges facing workforce well-being require interventions that go beyond the individual. Making the health service a better place to work must be a shared endeavour so that we can continue to meet the needs of our patients and support our pharmacy people.
Download the joint statement with list of supporting organisations below
The organisations with most influence over workplace environments are employers and this statement means that the NHS and other employers that were represented, have formally recognised the importance of supporting pharmacy teams across all sectors of practice to deliver patient care through:
- Prioritising staff wellbeing
- Healthy working environments
- Access to appropriate rest breaks
- Opportunities for professional development, and
- Giving employees the support, training, supervision they need to help enable them to complete their professional duties
PDA Chairman, Mark Koziol said, “We know that it is often the current poor working environment which is causing many pharmacists to reduce hours, become locums or leave the profession entirely and we recognise the subsequent risk to pharmacists of burn-out and the consequences for patients of the situation.
It is very positive to hear the representatives of employers confirm they do know what needs to be fixed, however we know from the thousands of instances of support we provide each year that many pharmacists simply do not experience these conditions in their day to day working environment.
Every stakeholder must play a part to make things better and we call upon all those represented at the roundtable to match the words of their spokespeople and work with us to improve the working environment for pharmacists, and in doing so also improve patient care.”
Roundtable attendees
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