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A new survey has highlighted growing concerns about pharmacists' increasing workload and their often-overlooked role within the healthcare systems. In the survey commissioned by consumer health company Kenvue, over 90 per cent of pharmacists reported a workload increase over the past year, with only 37 per cent considering their current workload sustainable. Their primary concerns include the impact of workload on wellbeing, expanding clinical roles and services, and challenges with staff recruitment and retention. Pharmacists reported spending most of their time advising patients on common ailments such as coughs, colds, pain, and allergies. However, they spend significantly less time on preventive services, which could further reduce pressure on the wider healthcare system. For instance, only seven pharmacists focus primarily on smoking cessation, and just four per cent on oral health. The survey also highlighted pharmacists' sense of being undervalued, with only 22 per cent feeling valued by policymakers, despite their significant contributions to primary care provision.

"Locums are a vital part of pharmacy to ensure branches can remain open and provide vital services to communities and patients across the country," said Jonathon Clarke, CEO and founder of Locate a Locum. In an exclusive email interaction with Pharmacy Business, Jonathon noted that while the demand for locums remains high, there has been a dip from the post-COVID peak, which is also reflected in their rates. Due to the shortage of registered pharmacists, employers are actively seeking locums to cover gaps in their rotas. "Legally, there needs to be a registered pharmacist on site or else a pharmacy is unable to open resulting in an NHS fine," he highlighted. Whether employed or working as self-employed locums, pharmacists face many issues on a day-to-day basis, such as insufficient staffing or commercial pressure to hit "targets". However, locums also face several unique issues on top of these. According to Jonathon, a significant challenge locums face due to the changing market environment in the UK is the "rising workload" associated with offering advanced services such as Pharmacy First.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has urged the government to amend medicines legislation to allow pharmacists to make minor amendments to a prescription without any protocol being needed. RPS wants to see a change in the law that makes the whole process of supply of medicines easier and quicker, enabling pharmacists to use their knowledge and expertise in medicines to better support patients. "At present a prescription can only be changed by a prescriber, which causes unnecessary workload for GPs and delays for patients," said RPS. RPS President Professor Claire Anderson said: "We want to see all pharmacists across the UK able to supply a different quantity, strength or formulation of a medicine (for example changing capsules to tablets) when required, to avoid unnecessary bureaucracy and the need for an SSP to be developed, signed and authorised by a Minister. In effect it would mean that pharmacists can help patients straight away - it would future proof the problem to some degree.

Data crunched by an online pharmacy delivery company paints a concerning picture for the pharmacy sector in England. Gophr's 'Prescription For Pressure' initiative reveals a challenging time for the sector and is supported by separate analysis by the BBC showing that the number of pharmacies in England is at its lowest since 2010. In addition, new powers being introduced for pharmacists to prescribe common prescription drugs and perform routine tests create an even greater workload for already overstretched pharmacists. Gophr's data reveals that: * Each pharmacy in England serves an average of 6,078 people. * In 2022, pharmacists dispensed 1.043 billion prescriptions, 26.3 million more than 2021. * A single pharmacy in England dispensed 248 prescriptions a day on average in 2022. Based on the most up-to-date statistics from the Office for National Statistics, NHS England and Statista, Gophr's calculations show that pharmacists have around 116 seconds to dispense a prescription, which is less time than the 180 seconds it takes to make a Quarter Pounder at McDonald's.

The consequences of NHS workforce crisis is not limited to general practice, community pharmacies are also suffering, commented Community Pharmacy England after the General Medical Council (GMC) published a report on Friday (23 June) which warned of the burnout in the workforce. The report calls for urgent actions to break a 'vicious cycle' of unmanageable workloads, dissatisfaction and burnout that is causing UK doctors to take steps to quit. Chief Executive Janet Morrison, said: "The GMC's report is yet another clear signal of the scale of the mounting the NHS workforce crisis, and this is not limited to general practice: community pharmacies are also suffering the consequences of it." "Pharmacy teams are overstretched, feeling immense pressures, and dealing with significantly increased workloads. Pharmacy owners are also finding it impossible to make ends meet, not least given the rising staffing costs which are being driven up by workforce issues. Findings show the number of doctors who reported working beyond their rostered hours on a weekly basis rose from 59% in 2021 to 70% in 2022, and 42% said they felt unable to cope with their workload each week (up from 30% in 2021). Just half said they were satisfied in their work, down from 70% in 2021.

The British Generic Manufacturers Association (BGMA), the trade body for off-patent medicines, has made several recommendations to alleviate medicine shortages, which not only have serious consequences for patients but also increase workloads for pharmacists. England is currently experiencing twice as many medicine shortages as it did two years ago, with some products remaining out of stock for many months, the BGMA reveals in a report, noting that "the vast majority are commonly used generic medicines." "We have witnessed the number of products facing supply challenges double in the past two years and remain at a high level since September 2023," says BGMA chief executive Mark Samuels. In its report titled 'Solutions to UK medicines shortages' published on 1 October 2024, the BGMA proposes policy changes to tackle medicine shortages, including incorporating supply chain resilience and past performance in hospital medicines tenders. "Tender scoring should include whether supply issues were reported with adequate notice. Suppliers should be informed of changes in prescribing more quickly," the report says.

"It is crucial that patients can access care when they need it, whether from a pharmacist or a GP, " Paul Rees, Chief Executive of the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has said. In response to a recent survey conducted by the General Medical Council (GMC) highlighting alarming trends among General Practitioners (GPs), the NPA has issued a warning about the growing crisis in the UK's primary care system. Rees emphasised the urgent need for government intervention, saying, "Only by reversing these cuts and providing pharmacies with a new funding deal will we be able to end the 8am scramble for appointments." The GMC survey reveals that there is a significant increase in the number of doctors reducing their working hours to safeguard their wellbeing, spotlighting concerns about the long-term impact on patient care. According to the report, nearly half of GPs ( 48 per cent) are struggling to manage their workload, with several resorting to decreasing their hours or declining additional work to protect their mental and physical health.

The Health Committee's new report has reminded the government of a much-needed pharmacy workforce plan to support recruitment, training, and retention of staff. The report makes a number of recommendations to optimise workloads across primary care, reduce pressure on general practice and hospitals, and support the integrated care systems. It also recognises the potential of pharmacist independent prescribers to support patient care, backed by appropriate supervision, training, and opportunities for professional development. RPS England gave evidence to MPs on the Committee at a public hearing in May, highlighting key issues to support the pharmacy workforce. RPS director for England, Ravi Sharma, said: "Today's report underlines the urgent need for the Government to set out a comprehensive workforce plan for health and care. "It rightly recognises that boosting recruitment and retention, supporting staff wellbeing, fostering inclusion and diversity, and investing in education and training will be crucial to the future of the NHS.

A winter NHS crisis is inevitable unless the government acts now to reverse the worrying decline in community pharmacies. Years of government underfunding could see 3,000 pharmacies in England - around a third of the network - having no option but to shut their doors to patients in the next few years. That figure is based on independent assessments from Ernst & Young and UCL/LSE healthcare professors: it is not scaremongering - it is the reality the country faces. Fifty per cent of pharmacies are already in financial distress because government funding has been falling in real terms since 2019 and that figure is predicted to rise to 75 per cent within the next two years. The government needs to act now and invest in pharmacy or sleepwalk into a healthcare disaster as we have seen with access to dentistry care. Prescription volumes have risen consistently year-on-year by roughly 2 per cent which means fewer pharmacies doing more work and under greater pressure than a decade ago. Ten years ago around 11,200 pharmacies in England were dispensing roughly 79,000 prescriptions; nowadays around 11,500 are dispensing roughly 89,000 prescriptions. The secretary of state recently asked pharmacy to do more to avoid a winter NHS crisis and at the same time said there will be no new money to pay for those additional services. This at a time when the network is in decline with random unplanned pharmacy closures - 640 closures since 2016 - and pharmacy staff face huge workload pressures as prescription demand is increasing year-on-year. The government's approach to pharmacy literally does not add up: the pharmacy contract is not fit-for-purpose now let alone dealing with a NHS winter crisis.