There are four PDA Regional Committees:
- Region 1 – Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man
- Region 2 – Northern England
- Region 3 – Wales, West England and the Channel Isles
- Region 4 – Southeast England
Below are details of some of the issues that were discussed during the fourth and final round of Regional Committee meetings in 2026.
Recent Regional Committee meetings celebrated that PDA membership has increased for the 23rd consecutive year, reflecting the continued growth and strength of the union. Members were also updated on the launch of the PDA’s new Professional Development Support Service, which brings together practical guidance, structured professional support, and international pharmacy resources in one accessible location through the online Member Hub.
The PDA’s newly published guidance on the safe and effective use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in pharmacy practice was noted, which aims to help pharmacists understand how AI is being used, recognise its limitations and risks, and apply appropriate professional judgement when using AI-enabled systems. The guidance is based on a Professional-in-the-Loop (PITL) approach, which means pharmacists must retain active oversight, professional judgement, and accountability for decisions that may be influenced by AI.
Regional Committee members welcomed news that the PDA has secured full membership of the NHS Staff Side Council, strengthening the union’s voice in national NHS workforce discussions. The NHS Staff Council covers all employees on Agenda for Change (AfC) contracts. The PDA is also a member of the national Social Partnership Forum (SPF) chaired by a government minister, where employers, government, and unions progress employment and workplace issues relating to NHS workers.
Members were reminded of the strengthened legal protections against workplace sexual harassment and the important role that union representatives can play in helping employers meet their responsibilities and creating safer working environments. They also discussed the support available to newly qualified Independent Prescribers (IPs), including the need for appropriate supervision, mentoring, training, protected development time, and safe staffing arrangements to ensure they can practise confidently and safely.
The committees celebrated the election of Oluomachi Yvonne Okereke as the 51st President of the National Association of Women Pharmacists (NAWP). Members also noted the launch of the PDA BAME Network elections.
Some of the other issues discussed at the Regional Committee meetings can be seen below.
Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man
Members in Scotland welcomed that the PDA can host a Leadership Conference for pharmacists, trainee pharmacists, and MPharm students in Glasgow on 29 November. The conference will offer practical development sessions on professional growth, negotiation, influencing skills, shaping practice, and creating fair and inclusive workplaces.
Representatives working in community pharmacy reported ongoing concerns relating to staffing shortages, leading to growing numbers of pharmacy closures and unfilled shifts. Alongside this, there are increasing workload pressures, and additional expectations being placed upon IPs without the necessary infrastructure and support. The committee also noted a significant growth in private prescribing activity, particularly in areas such as ADHD treatment, and the associated professional and governance considerations.
In the hospital sector, there were concerns that pharmacy leadership structures are not developing clinical leadership opportunities at a sufficient scale to support workforce development and patient care. There was discussion around consultant pharmacist roles, credentialing arrangements, and career progression opportunities.
The committee discussed Scottish Government proposals for NHS reform and health board restructuring. Whilst members acknowledged opportunities to reduce duplication and improve efficiency, they expressed concern that reform appears primarily driven by cost reduction rather than service improvement. The committee emphasised the importance of protecting local decision making, maintaining effective representation of remote and rural services, and ensuring any changes improve patient care.
Primary care representatives in both Scotland and Northern Ireland highlighted ongoing concerns regarding the use of pharmacists’ skills within GP practice settings. A recurring theme was that some pharmacists are increasingly undertaking administrative rather than clinical work, limiting opportunities to utilise prescribing qualifications and advanced clinical skills. Members considered that more efficient deployment of pharmacists would improve both patient outcomes and workforce satisfaction.
The committee held a detailed discussion on Independent Prescribing (IP) training arrangements and concerns regarding the lack of coherent infrastructure to support pharmacists seeking prescribing qualifications. In particular, members highlighted difficulties in accessing Designated Prescribing Practitioners (DPPs), concerns regarding training consistency and questions about whether current arrangements adequately prepare pharmacists for the specific clinical activities they are expected to undertake in practice.
Northern England
In community, members discussed growing workload and service pressures without corresponding staffing increases as well as increasing patient frustration, abuse, and aggression towards pharmacy staff. The committee also debated insufficient support and protected time for IP training and professional development alongside concerns about workforce planning.
Representatives from the hospital sector raised how the fact that SOPs are created for each NHS Trust is duplicating work, since there is a general level of service regardless of which Trust a pharmacist works at. It was suggested that just local variations of service could be included, reducing the amount of work each Trust needs to do this. It was noted that within the NHS, some high-level specialist jobs remain vacant, while those who could potentially take them on have not been trained.
In primary care, concerns were raised about the long-term sustainability of pharmacist roles due to uncertainty around the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) Funding. Members highlighted the potential risk of redundancies if funding arrangements change and signposted to the PDA’s redundancy guide.
Wales, West England and the Channel Isles
Regional Committee member, Martin Astbury, reported on his positive experience at the FIP World Congress, which he recently attended as part of the PDA delegation.
In community, several considerations were raised regarding the anticipated expansion of Pharmacy First services, particularly around workload, staffing, training, and ensuring pharmacists work within their competence and confidence.
Jersey has launched its Connected Pharmacies Programme, a pilot involving three community pharmacies, enabling authorised pharmacy professionals to access relevant information from patients’ summary care records where necessary to support their care.
Members in hospital raised concerns about the readiness of some trainees to practice safely as IPs and about the pressure placed on DPPs. In particular, the discussion highlighted the need for DPPs to make independent and defensible judgements, the difficulty of combining prescribing training with wider foundation training requirements, and the limits of supervision and remediation where competence remains insufficient.
In primary care in England, members reported that phased restructuring processes in ICBs are still ongoing creating uncertainty for pharmacists and teams.
Southeast England
Representatives from community highlighted increased pressure on pharmacists to implement the new prescribing service, with some pharmacies declining to provide it. The committee were particularly concerned about newly qualified IPs in terms of the pressure that they face to reach targets and navigating performance related prescribing habits. Members felt that in contrast, more support has been put in place for new IPs working in primary care.
In hospital, members were concerned about increased workload coupled with reported toxic leadership styles and the impact of this on pharmacists’ mental health as well as patient safety. The PDA’s guide to managing your wellbeing in the workplace was signposted to as well as the PDA’s charity partner, Pharmacist Support.
Members in primary care raised that stock shortages are getting worse. This means that prescribing habits are changing fast and there is increased workload to circumnavigate the medicines shortages.
Locums continued to discuss rates and the lack of training available, particularly considering the implications of Pharmacy First’s five new conditions for both IP and non-IP pharmacists.
Matters raised by individuals and groups of members which are discussed at regional level are reported to the National Executive Committee (NEC), where PDA Union policy is set. Along with thousands of cases supported by the PDA each year, member surveys and other sources of information, the regional committees help the PDA keep up to date with what is happening across all areas of practice.
Members needing support with issues at their workplace should contact the PDA Member Support Centre, while wider concerns about developments or trends in pharmacy can be shared with the local Regional Committee.
The Regional Committees are part of the PDA’s democratic structure and are formed to represent members’ views.
Elections were held earlier in the year for Regional Committee members, with those elected serving from April 2026 until March 2031. The Regional Committee webpages have been updated to reflect changes to the committees.
Those interested in becoming a PDA Rep can find out more by clicking here.
Learn more
- Regional Committees
- Organisational Structure
- PDA membership increases for 23rd year in succession
- PDA marks World Pharmacists Day by launching its new Professional Development service to support pharmacists throughout their careers
- PDA publishes professional guidance on the safe and effective use of AI in pharmacy practice
- PDA becomes full member of NHS Staff Side Council
- Oluomachi Yvonne Okereke elected 51st President of the National Association of Women Pharmacists
- PDA Leadership Conference Scotland 2026
- ARRS Funding 2026/27 Guide: Roles, Rates & GP Rules
- PDA redundancy guide launched following events to support members
- Pharmacy access to healthcare records
- PDA delegation attends FIP World Congress to champion UK pharmacists on the global stage
- PDA responds to expansion of Pharmacy First to include independent prescribing
- Guide to: Managing your Wellbeing in the Workplace
- Pharmacist Support
Get involved
- Join upcoming PDA events and courses.
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