To support the mental health and wellbeing of pharmacists, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) is running its fourth annual Workforce Wellbeing survey, in partnership with the profession's charity Pharmacist Support.
This year it's focused on exploring some of the obstacles that prevent workforce wellbeing measures being implemented in practice.
It's vital that workplace supports good mental health and wellbeing and provides the right environment to help prevent the negative effects of working under intense pressure.
RPS urges: “Please complete the survey as soon as you can. It's anonymous, open to pharmacists in all settings including students and you don’t need to be a member of RPS to take part.”
“We’ll take the results of the survey to governments across Great Britain, the NHS, and wider stakeholders to advocate for improvements to support the mental health and wellbeing of pharmacists.”
Through its Workforce Wellbeing campaign RPS has achieved access for all pharmacists to national health and wellbeing services across Great Britain in parity with other healthcare professions.
Professor Claire Anderson, RPS president, said: “The pressures faced by pharmacists in every sector are intense and have been for some time. Being continually stressed seems to have become the ‘new normal’ but it’s not sustainable long term and really affects the physical and mental health of many pharmacists and their teams. There's much evidence that demonstrates a stressful workplace can impact patient care too, as well as pharmacists’ own health.
“Please take the time to fill out our survey to let us know your situation. We want to gather the evidence we need to advocate on your behalf to employers and organisations so they act your needs and make the working environment a healthier and happier place.”
Danielle Hunt, chief executive of Pharmacist Support, said: “As the profession’s charity, data is crucial to help us better understand the current challenges and pressures within the profession.
“This year the charity’s ACTNow wellbeing campaign that kicks off on 25th September focuses on workplace culture and stigma. The campaign will acknowledge that our workplaces can have both a positive and negative impact on our wellbeing.
"We will be exploring how we can embed positive wellbeing practices into the workplace, recognising that a cultural shift will only be realised through collaborative working and the commitment of organisations across the profession. We encourage everyone to have their say, to help the profession to work together to address wellbeing.”
