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The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) has welcomed the Chancellor's announcement of a 5.5 percent pay increase for NHS pharmacists. Following the acceptance of the NHS Pay Review Body's (PRB) recommendations, Chancellor Rachel Reeves shared the announcement in a speech to Parliament on 29 July. She confirmed that the pay review bodies' recommendations for health and education for 2024-25 would be fully implemented. Reeves' speech came alongside the release of her audit into public finances, a commitment she made shortly after the recent election. The audit confirms that the recommendations from various PRBs, including those for NHS staff, doctors, dentists, teachers, and other public servants, have been approved and will be acted upon. "That is the right decision for the people who work in and most importantly the people who use our public services…giving hardworking staff the pay rise they deserve while ensuring we can recruit and retain the people we need," Reeves announced.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has proposed a 2.8% pay uplift for NHS Agenda for Change (AfC) staff, including hospital pharmacists, for the 2025/2026 pay round. This recommendation was detailed in the DHSC's submission to the NHS Pay Review Body (NHSPRB), which described the figure as "a reasonable amount to have set aside based on the macroeconomic data and forecasts and taking into account the fiscal and labour market context." NHS England also supported the 2.8% pay increase, stating that its proposal reflects "the likely NHS budget from discussions to date with DHSC and what was set out by HM Treasury in the Autumn Budget 2024." "We propose to set allocations for NHS planning on the basis of a 2.8% pay settlement. Every 0.5% increase above that costs around £700m; which is the equivalent to around 2% of elective activity (greater than 300k completed patient pathways)," it added. However, Unite the Union, representing NHS staff, condemned the DHSC's recommendation, called the proposed increase "an insult."

The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) is advising locum pharmacists to take screenshots of online agreements due to an increasing number of reports where community pharmacy businesses are unilaterally amending agreed-upon terms after a contract has been confirmed. The PDA highlighted one recent case where a locum was informed at short notice by the community pharmacy business that they would no longer pay the agreed hourly rate. The business then re-advertised the shift, falsely claiming that the booked locum was unwell. Unable to secure a locum at the new rate before the shift, the pharmacy closed, leaving patients and the local community without access to services. In such circumstances, the PDA advises affected locums to notify the relevant health boards or Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) of such breaches of NHS terms of service.