I’ve worked in community pharmacy for almost a decade, and pharmacy has reached a crossroads, whether you accept it or not.
For years, we’ve adapted and taken on more responsibility, despite mounting pressures.
Let’s face it. It’s never been the same since the pandemic, and it will never return to that calm place.
But just coping with this is no longer enough. Healthcare is changing and so are patient expectations.
So many pharmacies are still operating with the same mindset they have always had: dispensing prescriptions; items and items.
Many people use online dispensing services now because of the convenience. And do you know what, let them. Take our script items, because there is not enough funding in this. Our teams work ourselves to the bone dispensing and checking.
It’s so busy out there, we don't even get the time we want with our patients any more regarding their care. And that's not our fault. We’re back at that checking bench, not wanting the work to stack up into an unbearable amount.
I am also an accuracy checking dispenser. Do I get enough time to do my titled role? Absolutely not, and that makes me sad.
We can’t wait for someone else to come rescue us
We cannot rely on dispensing alone. The government does not pay enough for this.
Patients want memorable experiences, accessibility, services and trust from their healthcare providers. Do you really think they like waiting in long lines for their medication, or ringing and ringing and no one answers?
They want to come through that door greeted by smiles and non-stressed staff. They want to feel like a patient, not a script count.
Whether funding improves tomorrow, or remains unchanged, we can’t afford to wait for someone else to come rescue us. The reality is many pharmacies don't have the resources to recruit enough staff to meet the growing demand. The result of this cycle is one many of us know too well. Too few staff means increased stress.
This creates chaos, chaos then leads to burnout. Experienced staff leave, and recruitment becomes even more difficult because people don't want to work in an environment where they are constantly firefighting.
Waiting for funding isn't a strategy.
Turn burnout into purpose?
Our workload isn’t going to disappear overnight. But we can use that pressure as fuel.
Become the community wellness hub. Where patients can access weight loss clinics, women's and men's health, independent prescribing services, skin care and aesthetics, all under one roof.
Be the pharmacy that patients choose to visit, not just because they have to pick their script up.
How can I do this if I'm already struggling?
My answer is this: the burnout will still be there if nothing changes.
Invest into that energy and build a business that will let you breathe in five years’ time.
Create a private wellness destination that goes along side your NHS services.
Create an environment where staff want to stay and people want to have a career with you. We’re capable of so much more.
Many pharmacies already offer private services, so why does it constantly still feel like chaos?
Because for many of us, prescription volume dominates the day. By the end of the day, there's so little energy left in us to deliver the care we trained for.
Community pharmacy was never meant to be a conveyor belt of items. You studied for years to help improve lives.
Yet, too often, were stuck on one spot of the floor checking prescription after prescription. All those skills and opportunities are passing you by.
I think we should give pharmacies the power to be able to limit their script numbers if they wish, to focus on private services, or pay us more per prescription item.
If the government can’t give us the funding, give pharmacies the power to be able to limit their script numbers.
And no, that doesn't mean patients will be without medication – that's where places such as online dispensing providers come in. We all thought they were the enemy, but what if we thought about how they can help us become what were truly meant to be?
If routine repeat dispensing can be managed through online services for patients who prefer it, that creates opportunities for community pharmacy to focus on what cannot be delivered through a letterbox.
Perhaps online dispensing is not the end of community pharmacy, but could give us the opportunity to become the healthcare destination we’ve always had the potential to be?
If the government won’t do this, then pay us more for each prescription item.
Online pharmacies taking the items? Let them! It doesn't mean they have stolen your patients.
One day, I hope we look back on this chapter not as the time all community pharmacies were breaking, but as the moment we finally realised we’ve got the courage to reinvent ourselves.
Whatever you do, don’t give up. Our profession and our patients are so worth fighting for.
So, to every pharmacy owner and to every member of a pharmacy team feeling exhausted – don’t give it up. The future of pharmacy is not something we can wait for. We need to create it.
Don’t just read this and put it down: let it challenge you.
Don’t return to the same routine tomorrow. I know for a fact, if we’re all loud enough together, we can be heard.
The future of community pharmacy won’t belong to those who work the hardest. It will be who embraces the change the fastest.
