Community pharmacists have a poorer work-life balance than hospital, industry or primary care pharmacists, research from the University of Manchester has suggested.

Only academic pharmacists had a worse balance between their work and personal lives, a survey of 12,364 pharmacists across the profession found.

The research, published in the International Journal of Pharmacy Practice earlier this month (May 17), asked pharmacists 10 questions on factors such as working hours, impact on family life and work-related stress to determine their work-life balance score. The 7,766 community pharmacists who responded scored a mean of 18.8 out of 30, a result that was second only to academics who scored 19.2.

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	In pharmacy as a whole, four in 10 respondents said they usually worked long hours and more than a quarter said there wasn't much time to socialise, relax with their partners or see family during the week.

Within community pharmacy, contractors, employees at multiples and pharmacists with outside caring responsibilities found it hardest to maintain a healthy balance, according to feedback from questionnaires that were sent out to everyone on the pharmacy register in 2008.

The research backed findings from the C+D Salary Survey 2012, which found that contractors were most likely to suffer from stress. 

Employers, regulators and pharmaceutical bodies needed to help pharmacists maintain a better work-life balance, warned the latest study's authors at the Centre for Pharmacy Workforce Studies, Manchester University.

Employers could help by introducing flexible working hours, term-time contracts or support for those caring for elderly parents or relatives, suggested academic pharmacists and authors Elizabeth Seston and Karen Hassell.

Charity Pharmacist Support highlighted the difficulties of maintaining a work-life balance in 2011, when it revealed that one in 10 pharmacists had considered quitting the profession over the problem.

General Pharmaceutical Council standards say pharmacy owners and superintendents must ensure there are enough suitable staff to provide services safely, and that individual pharmacists should ensure their workloads do not present a risk to patient care or public safety.