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When 90% of your workforce report they are at risk of burnout, it’s hard to think of a louder alarm bell. And this particular alarm bell has been ringing consistently for some time now.
Findings from the annual Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) Workforce Survey found that approximately nine out 10 pharmacists said they are at high risk of burnout across sectors. This is now the fourth year in a row that this figure has hovered in or around 90%.
In general practice specifically:
This is clearly not sustainable. One of the primary reasons for closer integration of clinical pharmacy into general practice was to help ease workforce pressures while at the same time providing increased access and specialist clinical expertise, particularly with regard to polypharmacy and management of complex patients.
Yet with some irony, pharmacists are now experiencing the same pressures that have faced the GP workforce for some time. So, what is going on and how can we fix it?
These figures are not just numbers on a page. The data paints a stark picture of individuals struggling to cope amid unprecedented pressure on services.
The profession’s independent charity, Pharmacist Support, reported a 49% increase in referrals for counselling, and an 82% increase in financial assistance from January to March 2023 compared to the same time period in 2022. This does more than hint at the effects that burnout is having on individuals, and the profession as a whole.
We live in an era of unprecedented demand, and pharmacy is increasingly being seen as an initial port of call for patients. One need only look to Pharmacy First. Demand is beginning to take its toll.
Studies report instances where integration of clinical pharmacists into GP practices and contribution to clinical duties has been ‘hindered by demand for their time in other areas.’ Reports of unmanageable workloads have arisen with high levels of administrative work. The result? Staff working prolonged hours, with little protected time for learning and fast-diminishing job satisfaction.
At the same time, there are also system-wide issues at play. The 2024 Pharmacy Pressures Survey identified a number of drivers such as continuing medicines supply issues which have been reported to put patient health at risk, increase patient frustration and compounded operational and financial pressures.
The pressure on pharmacists is having a knock-on effect on practice performance and outcomes too.
In one practice where pharmacists were tasked with completing medication reviews, there was said to be “lack of information to show what had been reviewed and if discussions had taken place with patients within these reviews.”
This was reportedly to be due to staff shortages in the pharmacy team. Structured medication reviews had also not been completed due to “high workloads.”
As we know, where demand outstrips supply there will usually be an impact. This may manifest itself in other ways such as missed codes, or non-completion of key prevalence work for example. And in addition to affecting patient outcomes, this may also affect surgeries in other areas such as QOF achievement.
So what can be done to alleviate some of the pressure, and prevent pharmacist burnout?
A key strategy to mitigate this issue is providing more comprehensive support to practice-based pharmacists.
41% of respondents to the RPS survey said they had experienced physical or verbal abuse, the majority from members of the public. Ensuring team members have direct access to GPs or other appropriate members of the practice team to help with patient-related queries can promptly address issues as they arise. While peer support and mentorship can also help.
Another critical area is protecting learning time. No one likes to feel they aren’t progressing and developing in their career, and the RPS survey revealed that 61% of pharmacists felt they were not given sufficient protected learning time. Those that were, reported having to fit it around their workload or in their personal time. Managers can support their staff by allocating specific times for learning.
In addition to improving workplace culture and learning opportunities, it's vital to direct pharmacists towards available wellbeing support. This includes employer or NHS-funded occupational health services, access to the RPS wellbeing hub, and resources provided by Pharmacist Support, a charity offering mental health and wellbeing assistance.
But simply letting staff know about these resources isn’t enough on its own. They must also have the time and space to make use of them. The RPS survey reported that 18% of respondents said they would feel more confident accessing support if they had protected time to do so.
Practices should aim to create a compassionate and inclusive work culture, signposting appropriate mental health and wellbeing support, and creating time for staff to use it, should they need to.
Fully embedding practice-based pharmacists into the team is essential too to avoid siloed working as well.
GPs and practice managers can help by identifying areas for improvement, such as implementing effective onboarding programs. Surgeries can review their current onboarding process to ensure that it works for everyone, including employees who are working across multiple sites within a primary care network (PCN).
An onboarding process that lasts at least six months and that involves an assigned “buddy” will improve the sense of belonging amongst all new team members.
However, it's also important to recognise that the best wellbeing support in the world won't solve the core underlying root causes of burnout.
There are several risk factors that have been identified, such as longer working hours, less professional experience, high prescription/patient volumes and increased workloads alongside too many administrative duties. But even across all of these, we can identify the common denominator of persistent increased demand.
To that end, services can look to additional support to complete timely, efficient medication and condition reviews.
From case-finding and patient engagement through to condition and medication reviews, our virtual clinics provide a one-stop shop for chronic care. Our team of clinical pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and GPs can support your practice, PCN or ICB to increase chronic care capacity, improve outcomes and achieve targets.
To discuss your needs with our team, contact us on partnerships@suvera.co.uk
