Patients are suffering longer waiting times for medicines and reduced access to essential medical advice as critical pressures hit pharmacists, a leading industry body has warned.
Community Pharmacy England (CPE), which represents 10,500 pharmacies, said “extreme stress and burnout” was harming staff’s mental health and wellbeing.
A survey by CPE found 86 per cent of pharmacy team members reported staff shortages had led to longer waiting times for patients.
The delays impact timely access to medication and health advice.
The researchers found that three quarters of pharmacy owners were finding it increasingly difficult to hire and retain permanent staff.
Seventy per cent of owners reported staff shortages, with about one in 10 forced to close temporarily as a result.
Nearly all members (92 per cent) said they were not coping well and were struggling with their workload. Almost two thirds (62 per cent) reported that staff shortages had led to a reduced ability to offer services or advice to patients in need.
As part of their efforts to safeguard patients, 61 per cent of staff said they were working longer hours.
More than 6,100 pharmacies in England and 2,000 of their team members took part in the survey.
Anil Sharma, a community pharmacy owner in the East of England, 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 teams has become increasingly difficult.
“I’ve had people who have turned down a job offer in favour of working in retail and even a garden centre, simply because they were guaranteed better pay working there, with less stress than in a community pharmacy.”
The survey also found that 77 per cent of team members said their work was negatively impacting their mental health and wellbeing.
CPE said teams were facing underfunding and escalating workloads and that some pharmacists were contemplating leaving the profession due to the overwhelming stress.
Examples included one not taking a day off in two-and-a-half years, and another returning to work immediately after a parent’s death.
Mr Sharma said: “The stress on staff because of the workload is a daily issue – we do everything we can for our patients and to meet their needs, but there is routinely a cost to our own wellbeing.”
Janet Morrison, chief executive of Community Pharmacy England, said staffing pressures and morale in community pharmacies were at an all-time low.
“We are deeply concerned about staff wellbeing and the negative impact that the current pressures are having on both the mental health of the community pharmacy workforce and on patient care,” she added.
“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.
“If pharmacy staff are overworked, understaffed, harassed and facing significant stress, it negatively affects their ability to meet patient needs.”
The survey was carried out between early March and early April this year.
