Significant increase in number of pharmacy staff who have thought about leaving their role.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has recently published the results of its 2022 Workforce Wellbeing survey.

The survey shows that the pressures on the pharmacy workforce continues to negatively impact on mental health and wellbeing, with high workloads and staff shortages affecting the workforce.

73% of respondents have considered leaving their role or profession.

With 88% at risk of ‘burnout’ - the World Health Organisation defines burnout as “A syndrome conceptualised as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterised by three dimensions:

• Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion

• Increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job

• Reduced professional efficacy

According to the report, a total of 1,496 responses were received. The majority of survey
respondents were white, female pharmacists working in community settings in England.

Inadequate staffing was the most significant issue, which was reported by respondents across all sectors. However, the survey identified a number of issues specific to Community Pharmacy, these included increased risk of burnout, and poorer mental health in comparison to other sectors.

Community Pharmacists were also less likely to get breaks, have protected learning time and more likely to experience verbal or physical abuse from patients and the public.

You can read the full report here.