While Boots did not award bonuses during its 2019-20 financial year – which runs September to August at the multiple – nearly all pharmacists and pharmacy managers saw their salaries increase, Boots said in response to C+D’s Salary Survey findings.

Pre-registration pharmacists and pharmacy technicians received a “Christmas gift payment” and Boots’ parent company Walgreens Boots Alliance awarded a “discretionary bonus” to “eligible” staff across the company, the multiple added.

C+D has asked for more details on both these payments.

Boots’ comments come in response to C+D’s Salary Survey, which found that of the 106 Boots pharmacists and branch managers who responded, 40% said they had received a pay rise in the 12 months to October 2020, while 16% received a bonus.

74% received bonus at Lloydspharmacy  

According to the 75 pharmacists and pharmacy managers at Lloydspharmacy who responded to C+D’s Salary Survey, 52% received a pay rise last year and 74% had a bonus.

A spokesperson for Lloydspharmacy said: “We introduced a number of initiatives to support our colleagues last year; our minimum rate of pay for pharmacists increased to £18.50 per hour, and our teams received a thank you payment to acknowledge their incredible efforts during 2020.”

When asked for more details on the “thank you payment”, the multiple told C+D that pharmacy teams, drivers and “warehouse colleagues” received a “one-off discretionary recognition payment” at the start of May 2020, “to recognise their extraordinary efforts in keeping every pharmacy open throughout the pandemic and making sure our customers and patients had the medicines they need”.

“We have also invested in extra holiday for pharmacists and paid study days for our provisionally registered pharmacists, along with increased life assurance and significantly improved family friendly policies,” the spokesperson added.

Well’s £150 “recognition payment”

Of the 44 Well pharmacists and branch managers respondents, 44% received a pay rise and just 17% a bonus in the 12 months leading to October 2020, according to the C+D Salary Survey 2020.

In May 2020, Well Pharmacy announced around 6,000 staff would receive a “recognition payment” of either a £150 flat payment or “10% extra” on the average hours worked over four weeks for their work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Well has been contacted by C+D for comment.

See how workload, pay and stress compares at Boots, Lloydspharmacy and Well.

The C+D Salary Survey 2020 – the largest UK survey of community pharmacy – ran between October 19 and December 10 and was completed by a total of 1,667 pharmacists and pharmacy staff. C+D's ongoing coverage from the survey can be found on our dedicated hub.