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The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has published new reports on racism and other inequalities in pharmacy, following a series of virtual equality roundtables. This council organised its second equality roundtable on 18 September 2023, focussing on the topic of 'Language Barriers and Health Inequalities', and a follow-up roundtable on 'Racism in Pharmacy: Accountability Counts' on 10 October 2023. A wide range of pharmacy-related organisations, patient groups, equality groups, providers of translation services and software, individual pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and wider teams from different sectors and settings attended the events. GPhC chair, Gisela Abbam thanked speakers and attendees for listening and contributing to the important discussions around racism and language barriers, which she said are "not purely a pharmacy problem, nor a health problem", but a "much broader" system problem. "It is important we acknowledge that, and do what we can to tackle racism and barriers wherever we find them," she added.

Our first nine years at New Life (1987-1996) were a painful, difficult, and often unsuccessful attempt, to bridge racial, cultural, economic, and gender

Pharmacists from BAME backgrounds still face higher levels of discrimination, harassment, bullying, and career obstacles compared to their white counterparts, the Pharmacy Workforce Race Equality Standard (PWRES) report has revealed. Published by NHSE England, this report underscores the persistent presence of inequality, emphasising the crucial need for all stakeholders in the pharmacy sector to prioritise addressing these issues. The PWRES report indicates that pharmacy team members of Black ethnic backgrounds are less likely to perceive equal opportunities for career advancement or promotion within their trust. Additionally, female pharmacy team members from BAME backgrounds report higher incidents of personal discrimination in the workplace. The report also highlights an overrepresentation of pharmacy technicians from BAME backgrounds in lower-paid roles. "It is shocking and unacceptable to see that across all indicators the BME staff experience is worse than their white counterparts," said Tase Oputu, Chair of RPS in England.

The Professional Pharmacists Association (PDA) has demanded efforts to secure greater support and recognition for community pharmacists from governmental bodies. In its written evidence provided to the Health and Social Care select committee's pharmacy inquiry, the PDA raised concerns about the well-being of pharmacists, specifically for those who belong to minority ethnic groups and race and are subjected to bullying, harassment, and ill-treatment. The association highlighted issues in the workplace that impact pharmacists' health and well-being, including chronic understaffing, sub-standard working environments, an absence of protected training time, and experiences of racism, violence, and abuse. Parallel to the PDA's advocacy, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) is intensifying calls for prioritising workforce wellbeing within the pharmacy domain. Stressing the pivotal role of workforce retention in addressing current challenges, RPS emphasises the need for robust support mechanisms and equitable access to mental health services.