Two thirds of pharmacy staff say work is negatively impacting mental health

Morale is ‘at breaking point’ with 70% of pharmacy staff reporting negative impacts on their mental health and wellbeing, according to Community Pharmacy England’s (CPE’s) 2025 Pharmacy Pressures Survey: Staffing and Morale Report.

A quarter of staff said they were barely coping or not coping at all. Almost all (95%) said staff shortages were increasing pressures and 88% cited heavy workload as a top concern in their responses.

Recruitment remains a major challenge with over 60% of pharmacy teams reporting staff shortages, and more than one in five (21%) reporting that their pharmacy has had to temporarily close as a result. Over half of pharmacy owners (54%) also reported struggling to recruit permanent staff, the survey found.

Over 4,300 pharmacy premises and 1,600 staff responded to the CPE pressures survey.

And financial pressures continue to accelerate the problem. Kent-based pharmacy owner, Temitope Awofeso, was forced to close his pharmacy despite recently being nominated for a Best Pharmacy Award.

He said: ‘The painful decision to close my pharmacy became unavoidable as my pharmacy succumbed to the sustained financial pressures on community pharmacies and the impossible environment created by years of underfunding, leaving me no option but to close our doors.

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‘This was particularly difficult as our pharmacy had recently been nominated for a Best Pharmacy Award in Kent, a recognition we could not pursue. Closures are not about quality of service, but about an unsustainable funding system. The toll on my mental health was enormous.’

He is not alone, with almost half (48%) of pharmacy owners surveyed saying staffing costs are unsustainable for business.

Many respondents (33%) said their pharmacies have stopped providing some non-essential services due to these pressures and almost one in five have reduced opening hours (18%). As a result, 81% of pharmacy staff reported longer patient waiting times.

Community pharmacy owner in the East of England, Anil Sharma, explained how he and his wife work long hours just to keep the business afloat.

‘Alongside these pressures, I continue to care for patients who rely on me daily. I often see regulars who are distressed when I have to explain their medicine hasn’t arrived because of supply issues,’ he said.

Patient abuse also remains a serious concern, reported by more than half of pharmacy staff (54%).

Janet Morrison, chief executive of CPE, said: ‘Our survey lays bare the deepening crisis in community pharmacy staffing and morale. Pharmacy teams are under relentless pressure, affecting both their wellbeing and their ability to provide vital care. Many colleagues are exhausted, feel undervalued, and uncertain about their future in the sector they love.’

She added that work-life balance for pharmacy teams is ‘under severe strain’, contributing to low morale across the sector.

‘Their commitment to patients is unwavering, but it cannot be taken for granted.  The experiences of pharmacy owners and their staff who have shared their stories with us show the extraordinary personal sacrifices pharmacy professionals are making just to keep their doors open.’

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She reaffirmed CPE’s commitment to working with the government and the NHS to secure meaningful investment in community pharmacy, better workforce support, and a sustainable funding model.

In light of the CPE pressures survey, Company Chemists' Association (CCA) chief executive Malcom Harrison highlighted the difficulties faced by pharmacies - such as the increasing workload and volume of dispensing, the funding gap, and the expectation that pharmacy teams will deliver more clinical services for the NHS.

'It is unfortunately not surprising that this survey highlights some real concerns regarding staff morale. Additional investment in the sector is critical to enable businesses to invest in their workforce and systems, to ensure that capacity can meet growing demand, and to ease pressures currently facing pharmacy teams,' he said.

Chief executive of Pharmacist Support, Danielle Hunt, said the latest figures were ‘deeply concerning’ but ‘not surprising’ considering the pressures faced by community pharmacists.

Every day, Pharmacist Support hears from pharmacists who are struggling to cope with their role, said Ms Hunt.

‘We’re seeing the real human cost of a profession under strain. Without meaningful investment and a joined-up approach to wellbeing across the profession, we risk losing dedicated people to burnout and exhaustion,’ she added.

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Melissa Cochrane, wellbeing development senior manager at Pharmacist Support, recently spoke to The Pharmacist about similar issues. She said she wanted to see wellbeing embedded into the pharmacy workplace culture.

‘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.’

She encouraged pharmacists to take breaks and reach out for support if they are struggling.