Ever get a sense of déjà vu in pharmacy? It happened to me this week as I was putting together the C+D Awards special. I decided to have a look through the equivalent issue from last year. Flicking through the pages, I was struck by the contrast between the celebratory nature of the awards and the sombre tone of the editor’s comment, which focused on the difficulties pharmacists face when deciding whether to whistleblow on bad practice.

Fast-forward 12 months, and I’m kicking off another awards special with an equally solemn reflection. This time, it’s on the dangerous effects of top-down pressure – epitomised by the suspension of former Boots branch manager Asif Alam this month for falsifying minor ailments forms in an effort to hit targets.

Boots UK chief pharmacist Marc Donovan responded to Mr Alam’s allegations by correctly pointing out that pharmacists who feel their work is compromised have a “professional duty to speak to their line manager or the chief pharmacist’s office”. But I’d argue that other alternatives are needed. What if your line manager is the one piling on the pressure? Or you worry you’ll lose your job by whistleblowing to the chief pharmacist?

It’s issues like these that I would urge the General Pharmaceutical Council to address as part of its “programme of work” to tackle workplace pressures. Regardless of how sceptically you view the regulator’s ability to solve such a wide-ranging issue, it’s good to see the organisation at least wake up to the scale of the problem.

At C+D, we also want to raise awareness of the experiences of pharmacists who are struggling under workplace pressures – whether that’s from tough targets, inflexible area managers or understaffing. So send your examples to [email protected], with the heading ‘pharmacy pressures’, and make sure to state if you want us to keep your identity anonymous.

A cause to celebrate

We may calling for your unhappy experiences of pharmacy this week, but for the past few months the C+D Awards judges have been shifting through hundreds of incredible examples of how you’re having a positive impact on patients every day. We celebrated these stories – and the sector as a whole – at an awards ceremony in Wales last week.

As I mentioned in my speech at the awards – and in previous comment pieces – the tough times the sector is going through make it all the more important to recognise, share and celebrate each other’s successes.

James Waldron is editor of C+D. Email him at [email protected] or contact him on Twitter at @CandDJamesW

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