Interview: Pharmacist Support on why it’s time to ‘stop seeing wellbeing as a luxury’

Loneliness and isolation are growing concerns within the pharmacy profession. A shocking 87% of pharmacists are now at high risk of burnout, according to the latest workforce wellbeing survey by the charity Pharmacist Support and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS), and many are struggling to cope with day-to-day pressures.

To help address the issue, Pharmacist Support is relaunching its annual wellbeing campaign, ACTNow, which will run from 20 October to 7 November. The charity is also encouraging pharmacists to participate in its Walk for Wellbeing – an effort to promote connection and mutual support among pharmacy professionals.

To mark World Mental Health Day (10 October), Melissa Cochrane, wellbeing development senior manager at Pharmacist Support, spoke to The Pharmacist’s Emily Warner to highlight the importance of mental wellbeing and discuss the support available to those in need.

Emily Warner (EW): Why do you think pharmacist wellbeing needs more attention?

Melissa Cochrane (MC): We do a joint workforce survey with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) every year, and what we could see from the 2024 results is that about 70% of pharmacy professionals feel lonely or isolated often or very often and 35% of pharmacists reported poor or very poor mental health.

[Of the pharmacists surveyed], 87% were also at high risk of burnout which is a shockingly high number that has been stubbornly up there for years and years. It’s not decreasing like we hoped it would after Covid, so we’re not in a great place.

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There are a lot of reasons for that. Key pressures that were reported as impacting pharmacist wellbeing were work-life balance (49%), lack of support from colleagues or senior staff (47%), and long working hours (34%). Another alarming statistic was that 41% of community pharmacists said their mental health was rarely or never prioritised in the workplace. It really is time to take a look at this and do what we can to make it a better workplace for pharmacists.

EW: What are the biggest challenges pharmacists face when it comes to mental wellbeing?

MC: I think staffing levels tend to be a problem – I see a lot of pharmacists who are doing the work of two people. Medicine shortages also cause a lot of stress. Lack of support from colleagues and senior staff is also important to look at because, if you have colleagues and senior staff who are behaving in a way that’s supportive of everyone, it could probably minimise some of those feelings of burnout and mental health problems.

EW: Do you think mental wellbeing is a growing issue among pharmacy teams?

MC: I do think that. We’ve seen in the past year alone, a 23% increase in counselling referrals and a 15% increase in our peer support services – it’s clear that pharmacists need support. There can be a huge knock-on effect, personally and professionally, when people feel that they are under too much pressure, and I think that is what we are seeing.

EW: What can pharmacists do to support their own mental wellbeing?

MC: I think it’s very important to take rest breaks. Lots of pharmacists don’t necessarily do that or feel like they shouldn’t because there’s so much work to be done, but it’s not necessarily more efficient to [just keep working]. A lot of pharmacists operate in places that don’t have natural light or access to fresh air and that’s important.

Pharmacists can also sign up for our ACTNow campaign. We’ve got a charity newsletter that provides detailed support, information and resources throughout the year. Pharmacists can listen to our podcast called ‘A Dose of Wellbeing’ which is a fun way to connect with other people in the profession and get lots of interesting wellbeing tips. And our wellbeing learning platform is full of workshops on stress management, building resilience, time management, the science behind wellbeing and more.

Lastly, if they wanted to (literally) follow in our footsteps, pharmacists could organise a wellbeing walk with friends or colleagues. It can be a great way of creating connection, getting outside and priotising wellbeing.

EW: Pharmacist Support and the Pharmacists’ Defense Association (PDA) recently did a joint Walk for Wellbeing this week – what was that experience like?

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MC: It was great to get out into nature in the middle of the day! A lot of us feel very tied to our workplace during the day and wouldn’t normally get out and do something like that.

It was also positive for us to connect with others. There were several people from Pharmacist Support, but we did the walk in conjunction with the PDA, so it was great for our team to meet and bond with them. We send a lot of emails, but we haven’t necessarily seen each other’s faces, so it was lovely to build a connection between the two groups and strong working relationships.

A lot of people spoke about how positive they felt at the end of the walk, how it gave them a mental break and helped put things into perspective. Sometimes, even just stepping away for 20 minutes can do that – although we walked for about an hour.

And sometimes it can feel like there is no time to take a break but that’s a false economy. If you get out and go for a walk, you often come back and you’re so much more efficient – you can see solutions where you couldn’t before, and it ends up making the day more productive.

EW: If you could change one thing about how the profession supports pharmacists, what would it be?

MC: I would like to see wellbeing truly embedded into the workplace culture. I would like to see managers properly trained on how to support employee wellbeing – I think that a lot of people have been promoted into managerial positions due to their professional skills, but they might not have the ability to effectively manage people, especially people who are struggling.

I would like to see wellbeing initiatives happening across the sector, and a strong collective effort for employees, professional bodies and charities to work together to make sure that all pharmacists have access to the right support. Campaigns like the ACTNow campaign are so important because they spark conversations and inspire practical steps that can lead to lasting change.

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And I would like us to stop seeing wellbeing as a luxury and see it as the foundation of a safe and effective professional environment. We know that when pharmacists feel supported, connected and valued, they can provide the best care for their patients.

A recent survey by The Pharmacist found that community pharmacists report higher stress levels than those in general practice.

And a recent feature explored how financial pressures take a mental toll on pharmacists, with some having to borrow money from friends, dip into savings or remortgage their house to stay afloat.