Key Summary
- Funding increase should be used to increase staff, bring in appropriate skill mix, and improve workplace environment.
- Pharmacists with prescribing qualifications need the time and working environment to undertake clinical consultations.
- Expanding services without expanding capacity inevitably risks adding more responsibilities to an already pressured workforce.
The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) has said that sustainable funding for community pharmacy must result in appropriate and adequate staffing of pharmacists to provide safe and effective patient care.
The trade union was responding to the recent Community Pharmacy Workforce Development Group's (CWDG) 2026 workforce review that highlighted the challenges faced by the community pharmacies.
The report stated that while the number of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians on the GPhC registers has continued to grow, the community pharmacies continue to face workforce shortages.
According to the report, prescription volumes have increased by 20% and clinical services by 600% over the last decade, but the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) pharmacists working incommunity pharmacies in England has fallen by 14% since 2021.
Sustainable funding
The PDA said that sustainable funding is essential for community pharmacies to deliver existing services and take on expanded clinical roles.
It noted that in England the community pharmacy funding settlement has increased from £2.592 billion in 2021-2022 to £3.636 billion for 2026-2027.
It is also notable that this 40% increase in funding is being shared between fewer pharmacies.
However, funding increase alone will not resolve workforce pressures, unless it is used to increase staff, bring in appropriate skill mix, and create capacity for pharmacy teams to deliver those extra services.
The workforce implications become particularly important as community pharmacy increases independent prescribing and gets into services that involve more complex clinical care.
Adequate staffing
The CPWDG report records 3,154 independent prescribers in the community pharmacy workforce in 2025, of whom only 1,686 were using their prescribing qualification.
Having pharmacists with prescribing qualifications is only one part of creating prescribing capacity.
They also need the time and working environment necessary to undertake proper clinical consultations, while ensuring that their other professional responsibilities can continue to bedischarged safely.
This is why the PDA has consistently advocated for a minimum two-pharmacist model.
While additional public funding is provided for expanded clinical services, the pharmacies should have the necessary resources to deliver them.
Expanding services without expanding capacity inevitably risks simply adding further responsibilities to an already pressured workforce, it added.
This could lead to increased risks to patients and damage the well being of the pharmacy professionals.
Managing workload
The report calls on the government and the NHS to match workforce supply with demand, improve retention and provide appropriate funding for workforce capacity.
It also recognises that employers have responsibilities, including reducing work pressures, improving workplace culture and supporting staff retention.
The PDA said this aspect of the workforce debate deserves greater attention.
Employers have influence over how pharmacies are staffed, the terms on which pharmacists are recruited, how available workforce capacity is deployed, how workloads are managed.
This include the culture of how employees are treated and whether pharmacists realistically have sufficient time to undertake all their professional responsibilities, including training during working hours.
The CWDG report highlights that community pharmacists are working fewer hours than previously and that portfolio and part-time working are becoming increasingly common.
It estimates that average weekly hours have fallen by around 8% since 2021.
The PDA said its members have consistently highlighted excessive workload and the risk of burnout as the primary reason why they choose to work less hours in community pharmacies, pursue portfolio careers or seek employment in other sectors.
The union said though there are enough qualified pharmacists, many are choosing not to work in community pharmacy.
Hence, merely increasing the number of pharmacists will not address these problems.
The union pointed out that community pharmacy has an important role to play in delivering more healthcare closer to home.
To achieve this objective sustainable funding is needed, but it also requires employers to ensure that investment is reflected in staffing, capacity and working environments that enable pharmacists to provide safe, high-quality care.
