Of over 1,000 respondents, 70% reported inadequate staffing levels, according to a summary of the survey results published by the PDA on Monday (January 27). The full report will be presented in full at the PDA conference in March.

The results of the survey did show a “broadly positive shift” across each of the basic commitments in its safer pharmacies charter, when compared with the results from the previous year, the PDA said.

However, the “frequency of instances where the standards are not met” should remain a “real concern for those responsible for pharmacy safety”, it added.

Although the results are “slightly improved” from the previous survey, “there is still a long way to go to significantly improve safety”, Alima Batchelor, head of policy at PDA, said.

The survey also found that 60% of respondents “did not have adequate rest, at least half of the time”,  down from 69% in 2018.

In the 2019 survey, 39% of respondents reported self-checking half the time or more, down from 48% in 2018.

The seven safety commitments measured in the survey are no self-checking, safe staffing, access to a pharmacist, adequate rest, respect for professional judgement, being able to raise concerns and physical safety.