In a statement released last week (October 8), Well announced that pharmacists and pharmacy team leaders working for its branches across the UK will receive a one-off payment of £150.

Meanwhile, all other UK frontline staff and warehouse employees will be awarded £100. The payment will not be subject to tax or National Insurance, Well said.

A spokesperson for the multiple told C+D that employees will receive the bonus on Thursday (October 14) this week. Some 6,000 staff will benefit from the payment, an investment of around £700,000, Well added.

It is the second payment Well has made to all its frontline employees in recognition of their work through the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, the multiple awarded either a £150 flat payment or “10% extra” on the average hours worked over four weeks to its pharmacy teams for their “remarkable” response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

 

“Immensely proud” of frontline colleagues

 

Well operations director Louis Purchase said: “Working in pharmacy is rewarding, seeing the difference you make to the health and wellbeing of patients' lives is a wonderful feeling – but being on the frontline and the first port of call for community health during a pandemic has shown our colleagues' true colours – their level of compassion, commitment and resilience is inspiring.

“I would like to take this opportunity to say a heartfelt thank you to each and every Well employee who continues to do all they can to keep their communities safe and well.”

Well people director Jacq Lunardi added: “The executive committee were keen to recognise our frontline colleagues with a second COVID-19 recognition payment. They are still going to great lengths to keep themselves and our patients COVID-safe.

“We are immensely proud of everything they’ve done and continue to do, and we hope this recognition payment shows them how grateful we are to have such committed and caring colleagues working for the Well family.”

The C+D Salary Survey 2020 – which ran from October 19 to December 10 – revealed that pre-registration pharmacists and pharmacy technicians at Boots received a “Christmas gift payment” and Boots’ parent company Walgreens Boots Alliance awarded a “discretionary bonus” to “eligible” staff across the company.

Lloydspharmacy also awarded a one-off “thank you payment” to pharmacy teams, drivers and warehouse colleagues at the start of May 2020 for their efforts during the pandemic.