Pharmacies are “overwhelmingly understaffed” and facing huge workload pressures, a new Community Pharmacy England survey finds, with the negotiator commenting that an “unaffordable 80 per cent increase” in locum costs “must be addressed” to tackle recruitment problems. 

The CPE survey of 2,000 pharmacy team members and the owners of more than 6,100 premises found that three quarters of businesses are being hit by staff shortages, forcing one in seven to close temporarily and having knock-on effects on staff wellbeing. 

Seventy-six per cent of respondents to the CPE survey said they struggled to recruit permanent staff and 71 per cent said they can’t afford the salary costs of permanent or locum team members.

One pharmacist told CPE: “I have not had a day off in two and a half years as I can’t afford a locum. My last day off was for my youngest son’s funeral.”

East of England contractor Anil Sharma said: “We have been trying to recruit new staff for my pharmacies for over 18 months now. We are overwhelmingly understaffed at the moment, and trying to fill the gaps in our team has become increasingly difficult.” 

Stress related to workplace issues like rising issues and the difficulty of sourcing common medicines was affecting the mental health of 77 per cent of respondents, while one in three said they were “barely coping” or “not coping at all”. 

Meanwhile, 40 per cent cited staff illness due to workplace stress and related issues as a key driver of personnel shortages. 

“It is so stressful that I am contemplating leaving the profession – I would rather have a reduced salary doing something less stressful,” said one respondent.  

While a business owner was quoted as saying: “Experiencing burnout as I have not had my full holiday entitlement. 

“I had to return to work the day following the death of a parent due to locum shortages. Ridiculous locum costs have also had a negative effect.” 

The CPE report highlighted the threat these pressures pose to both staff – 61 per cent of whom have been forced to work longer hours – and potentially patients too, with 62 per cent of team members reporting a reduction in their ability to deliver services and 86 per cent saying patients are having to wait longer to be seen. 

CPE said a new funding deal is needed to help pharmacies shoulder rising staff costs such as a National Living Wage uplift that added an extra £20m to the sector’s wage bill in April this year, adding: “Addressing the unaffordable 80 per cent increase in locum pharmacist costs between 2022 and 2023 is also essential.”

The negotiator also called on Labour to honour the previous government’s commitment to train up the workforce, and to “consider the impact” the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme has had on community pharmacies.

CPE chief executive Janet Morrison said: “Staffing pressures and morale in community pharmacies are at an all-time low, pushing businesses to the brink and forcing professionals who love working with patients to consider leaving the sector altogether. 

“Community pharmacy teams are working non-stop to protect their patients and local communities, but a workforce that is falling over does not support the delivery of quality patient care. 

“Our survey findings show there are simply not enough pharmacists or wider pharmacy team members and that this is having significant impact on their workload and morale.”

Boots public affairs director Marc Donovan said the issues highlighted in the report must be tackled “head-on” to help pharmacies deliver the NHS change agenda, while the Company Chemists’ Association commented:  “Key to resolving these challenges is addressing the underfunding of the sector in England.

“There is now an annual funding shortfall of £100,000 per pharmacy compared to 2015.

“This is money that pharmacies could use to invest in additional staff and innovative technologies to reduce the pressures currently experienced.”