An estimated shortfall of 16,000 community pharmacists over the next decade, finds CCA report

Community pharmacy is on course to have a smaller workforce in 2036/37 compared to day despite the NHS setting a target of 16,000 more pharmacists by that time.

According to the Company Chemists’ Association’s 2025 Community Pharmacy Workforce review, unless the government takes action now with further investment, it will fail to achieve its “shift” of moving care from hospitals to community.

The report found that the number of full-time community pharmacists is at its lowest level since workforce data collection began in 2017.

Vacancies have also soared with rates having risen above 1 in every 4 posts in some areas of the country, including Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly and Somerset.

The need for more pharmacists comes at a time when community pharmacy is facing increasing demands and expectations with the number of NHS-prescribed medicines, NHS-services, and unfunded patient consultations rising.

However, the community pharmacy workforce is shrinking. It is forecasted that despite the overall number of registered pharmacists set to increase, community pharmacy will not see an increase in its workforce.

“The NHS must prioritise an enhanced community pharmacy workforce if it is to realise the government’s planned shifts to move more care into the community and focus on preventing illness rather than just treating it," said CCA chief executive Malcolm Harrison.

“The announcement of a new NHS workforce plan for 2025 gives us little hope, when there has been virtually no progress since the last one.

“Lurching from plan to plan without implementation, alongside continued underfunding, is doing harm to pharmacies who are the healthcare lifeblood of local communities.”

The CCA has outlined strategies to address the decline of community pharmacists which includes, stopping the recruitment of pharmacists into other parts of primary care (GP surgeries and Primary Care Networks (PCNs)) immediately, and working with higher education institutions and employers to increase the number of new pharmacists.