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The Pharmacists Defence Association (PDA) has expressed its keenness to work with the NHS nationally and at the ICB level to discuss how the pharmacist workforce can most effectively be part of the multidisciplinary team, after the publication of Long-awaited NHS England workforce plan. Welcoming its publication Alison Jones, PDA Director of Policy said: "It gives greater clarity around the future direction and strategy for professional development, training, and opportunities for those currently working in the health service or considering their future career. There is a strong emphasis on further development of the clinical role of pharmacists to support better patient care. "However, this is a plan that will take years, indeed decades to come to fruition and its success will need to be underpinned by significant funding for its entire life course. Workplace pressures, reductions in support staff, and a lack of protected learning time are matters of immediate concern for many PDA members, issues which are regularly highlighted through activities, such as the safer pharmacies survey.

The Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists (GHP) has launched a national campaign advocating for pharmacists working in the NHS to have a minimum of 10% of their contracted hours protected for supporting professional activities (SPA). In a statement published on 7 February 2025, the GHP emphasised that this protected time "should be recognized by employers and embedded in job plans." The organisation highlighted the existing inconsistency across the UK regarding the amount of SPA time allocated to pharmacists and stressed the need for a consistent amount of development to "allow pharmacists to be able to be safe practitioners, to meet the demands of service development, and to be able to safely mentor and supervise more junior colleagues." The GHP raised concerns that many pharmacists end up doing "unpaid work" to catch up with the required training or completing self-learning in their own time. "This pressure is unfair and unsustainable, potentially contributing to burnout and in combination with all the other pressures, leads to pharmacists leaving the NHS," it stated. The GHP asserted that a minimum of 10% of contracted hours for SPA is "a strongly justifiable argument."

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has called on employers, governments and NHS organisations to provide pharmacists with regular protected learning time (PLT) within working hours to develop their skills in clinical delivery, education, research and leadership. RPS workforce wellbeing survey showed an average 42 per cent of pharmacists were not given any PLT, a figure which rose to 55 per cent in community pharmacy. Most were unable to engage in professional development activities as part of their working day because of their responsibility to deliver frontline clinical services to patients. This means learning is often undertaken outside of working hours, increasing pressure on individuals and impacting their work/life balance. The survey showed that 48 per cent of respondents identified a lack of PLT as negatively affecting their mental health and wellbeing and that 88 per cent were at high risk of burnout. PLT improves the quality of patient care through professional practice and reflection, helping to develop insights, maintain and refine care standards and increase confidence. It facilitates continuous professional development (CPD), ensuring that skills and knowledge are up to date.