Community pharmacies across England are facing intense and unsustainable pressure, with morale at breaking point and patient care increasingly at risk, according to findings from Community Pharmacy England’s 2025 Pharmacy Pressures Survey: Staffing and Morale report.

With over 4,300 pharmacy premises and 1,600 staff responding, the survey paints a stark picture of a sector grappling with worsening staffing shortages, unmanageable workloads, recruitment difficulties, and financial strain.

Today, our report and an interview with pharmacy owner and committee member Lindsey Fairbrother were featured exclusively in the Daily Express.

Key findings include:

Staffing and morale under severe strain

  • Nearly seven in ten pharmacy staff (70%) report negative impacts on their mental health and wellbeing, with a quarter of teams saying they are barely coping or not coping at all.
  • Almost all (95%) staff said shortages are increasing pressures, while 88% cited heavy workload as a top concern – up from 78% when the survey was first run in 2022.
  • More than 60% of pharmacy teams reported staffing shortages, and over one in five (21%) said their pharmacy had temporarily closed as a result.
  • Recruitment remains a major challenge: over half of pharmacy owners (54%) are struggling to recruit permanent staff, and more than a third (37%) say finding pharmacists is particularly difficult.
  • Financial pressures are compounding the problem, with 48% of pharmacy owners saying staffing costs are unsustainable for their business – fuelling recruitment difficulties, low morale, and temporary closures.

Impact on patients

The impact of these pressures is being felt most severely by the communities that rely on these pharmacies, with patients across England experiencing the consequences firsthand.

  • 81% of pharmacy staff report longer patient waiting times
  • 57% say they have a reduced ability to offer advice and services
  • A third (33%) say their pharmacy has stopped providing some non-essential services
  • Nearly one in five (18%) have reduced opening hours

Meanwhile, medicine supply issues continue to worsen, with 80% of staff saying sourcing problems are making it harder to cope – up from 75% in 2022. Patient abuse also remains a serious concern, reported by more than half (54%) of pharmacy staff.

Personal toll on pharmacy owners

Pharmacy owners have shared accounts of the personal toll the crisis is taking.

Anil Sharma, Committee member and community pharmacy owner in the East of England, said:

“Too many pharmacy owners like me are working long hours each day just to keep the business afloat.  My wife works the same long hours alongside me, but the reality is that the funding does not allow us to employ the kind of support every business needs. Alongside these pressures, I continue to care for patients who rely on me daily. I often see regular patients who are distressed when I have to explain their medicine hasn’t arrived because of supply issues. Parents also bring in their children with minor illnesses such as sore throats or earaches, and under Pharmacy First – despite all the challenges we face as a team – we make sure they are attended to. These are the realities of community pharmacy. I also regularly hear from colleagues on WhatsApp and Telegram who are facing the same struggles, many reaching out for advice or simply support to get through another day.”

Temitope Awofeso, a Kent-based  pharmacy owner, was forced to close his pharmacy despite recent recognition for excellence, 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. 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.”

Commenting on the findings, Janet Morrison OBE, Chief Executive of Community Pharmacy England, 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.

Funding challenges are pushing many owners to halt recruitment, close their branches or even consider selling their pharmacies. Alongside this, work-life balance for pharmacy teams is under severe strain, adding to low morale across the sector.

This report highlights the human cost behind the data, especially the dedication of professionals keeping services running under immense strain. 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.

We must work collaboratively across the NHS and government to ensure meaningful investment in community pharmacy, better workforce support, and a sustainable funding model. Only by tackling challenges head-on can we create a sustainable future for pharmacies and the patients they serve.”

Danielle Hunt, Chief Executive of Pharmacist Support, said; 

“These latest figures are deeply concerning, but sadly not surprising. When 70% of pharmacy staff report that their mental health and wellbeing have been negatively affected, and one in four say they are barely coping, it underlines just how urgently the sector needs to act. With 32% of staff shortages linked to sickness which is often driven by stress and pressure, we’re seeing the real human cost of a profession under strain.  

At Pharmacist Support, we hear every day from pharmacists who are struggling to manage the pressures of their roles. Without meaningful investment and a joined-up approach to wellbeing across the profession, we risk losing dedicated people to burnout and exhaustion. To create a sustainable future for pharmacy, wellbeing must be recognised and supported at every level, including being built into policy, funding, and workforce planning. The people behind the counter are essential to patient care, and it’s time their well-being was treated as equally essential.” 

Report and resources 

Pharmacy pressures survey 2025: Staffing and Morale report

Note: this is one in a series of reports that have been developed from the findings of the 2025 Pharmacy Pressures Survey. Our Medicines Supply Report and Funding and Profitability Report generated widespread media coverage earlier this year and we will continue to use the survey’s results to highlight the severe challenges impacting the community pharmacy sector.

We are also sharing the results with a wide range of media publications, MPs, Peers, Think Tanks, patient groups and other pharmacy advocates. For support with media interviews, please feel free to contact: comms.team@cpe.org.uk

Resources for pharmacies and Pharmacist Support

The survey findings make clear that supporting the mental health and wellbeing of pharmacy teams must remain a priority.

Alongside our ongoing calls for investment and reform, pharmacy owners and teams are also encouraged to make use of Pharmacist Support’s available resources.

Wellbeing and resilience webinar session

To further support pharmacy owners and their teams, Community Pharmacy England has partnered with Pharmacist Support to deliver a wellbeing and resilience webinar for all pharmacy owners and their teams. Full details and registration information will be shared in due course.

LPC Conference 25th November

For LPCs attending the conference later this month, Pharmacist Support will be on hand to speak about the guidance, advice, and resources they offer. Many LPC teams are under increasing pressure, so it is important that LPC staff look after their own wellbeing, just as much as everyone else across the community pharmacy sector. LPC colleagues can visit their stand to find out more and explore the support available.

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