17/09/2009
Young pharmacists have been more affected than others by the recession, a support charity has suggested.
The amount of financial assistance provided to those aged between 30 and 45 more than doubled last year, Pharmacist Support’s annual review revealed. And it reported a “big surge” in the number of calls to its helpline from pharmacists in the same age group.
Pharmacist Support: findings from 2008 60% Increase in helpline calls £1,000 Grants over this sum more than trebled £250k Total amount of debts regnegotiated £200k Total sum handed out to needy pharmacists Source: Pharmacist Support Annual Review 2008 |
The trends could also reflect the charity’s message reaching a younger audience, it suggested, following significant rebranding from the former Benevolent Fund of the RPSGB in 2008.
The amount of financial assistance provided by Pharmacist Support grew by 40 per cent to almost £200,000 between 2007 and 2008, despite the number of grants falling. The number of grants over £1,000 awarded more than trebled.
“The rise in the value of grants reflects the increasingly high level of debt that many beneficiaries face,” the charity said.
Its Listening Friends helpline saw a 60 per cent increase in overall call volume between 2007 and 2008, Pharmacist Support reported, and had recruited six new volunteers to cope with demand.
“This suggests stress continues to be a major problem for pharmacists,” the charity said. In the C+D and PDA Union Salary Survey 2009, 85 per cent of employee community pharmacists reported stress in the previous 12 months.
Pharmacist Support predicted more pharmacists seeking financial support as the recession continued and pledged to develop a long term fundraising strategy to enable it to expand its services.
