To collate this information, C+D analysed the results of the 173 branch managers and second or non-manager pharmacists working at Boots, Lloydspharmacy and Well who completed the C+D Salary Survey 2021.

See each multiple's response to the findings below.

 

Boots: Wellbeing of team members “a priority”

 

Responding to C+D’s findings, a spokesperson from Boots said: “The wellbeing of our team members is our priority at Boots. We regularly seek feedback from our pharmacists both formally and informally to inform the right investments in their career pathways and in new technologies to help reduce workload."

To “enhance the overall wellbeing of our pharmacists,” they added, “we offer targeted support in a number of ways, including through our employee assistance programme, our professional help desk and our online wellbeing hub, as well as encouraging regular line management conversations to make sure our teams stay connected”.

The multiple’s employees continue to have access to its wellbeing steering group and a professional helpdesk with pharmacists who are also all trained as mental health first aiders, the spokesperson added.

Following Boots’ annual salary review, all eligible pharmacists and pharmacist store managers received a salary increase in January 2022, backdated to November 2021, the spokesperson said.

In line with all bonus-eligible team members, an 8% bonus was also paid to all eligible pharmacists and pharmacist store managers last year.

 

Lloydspharmacy: Employee welfare “extremely important to us”

 

In response to the findings of the survey, a spokesperson for Lloydspharmacy told C+D: “We are proud of our colleagues’ continued dedication, care and commitment to patients and the communities we serve.

“Our teams have worked incredibly hard during an exceptionally challenging period of time; pharmacies and pharmacy teams have been instrumental in making sure patients have had consistent access to vital medicines and care at a time when access to other healthcare [facilities] – such as GP surgeries and hospitals – has been restricted.”

They added: “Our colleagues are at the heart of our business and their welfare is extremely important to us.”

 The multiple offers support to colleagues through “a number of initiatives”, including via mental health first aiders, the “employee assistance programme” and “wellbeing workshops and tools to reduce stress”, the spokesperson told C+D.

The multiple also runs “listening forums” for Lloydspharmacy pharmacists “to encourage them to share their thoughts and ideas” and “check-in surveys with all colleagues to listen and learn, encourage wellbeing and understand how they are feeling”, the spokesperson said.

Lloydspharmacy intends to extend the listening forum “to all colleagues working in our pharmacies over the coming months”, they added.

 

Well: We have "increased pay for many"

 

In response to the survey, Well’s operations director Louis Purchase told C+D that the multiple “continues to be immensely proud when we hear examples of how our colleagues have gone above and beyond for patients over the last few years.”

He continued: “We are pleased to be have been able to increase pay for many…in recognition of our colleagues’ commitment, resilience and hard work throughout the pandemic, despite the flat funding in the sector.

"We are doing everything in our power to ensure we have the right number of trained colleagues working across our 750 pharmacies; employee and patient wellbeing is our top priority."

Mr Purchase acknowledged the “enormous pressure” placed on pharmacy teams throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and praised Well staff for their “inspiring…level of compassion, commitment and resilience”.

“This has been even more apparent through the recent Omicron wave, where our primary focus has been maintaining our service in our pharmacies, requiring immense effort from thousands of colleagues across the organisation,” he said.

 

The C+D Salary Survey 2021 ran between November 26 and December 31 and was completed by a total of 1,295 pharmacists and pharmacy staff.

What do you make of the C+D Salary Survey 2021 results so far? Catch up on the coverage and share your experiences on the C+D Community