Source: C+D Salary Survey 2011 and 2010. Figures show the proportion of employee pharmacists who report suffering from problem

Pharmacy workplace pressures and associated problems appear to have decreased over the past year, the C+D Salary Survey 2011 has suggested. Almost two-thirds of employee community pharmacists responding to the survey, run in association with Pharmacist Support, reported suffering from stress at or as a result of work in the past 12 months, but this was down from 85 per cent the previous year (C+D Salary Survey 2010). And although more than half reported increased paperwork over the past year, this was also down, from almost nine in 10 in 2010. The proportions of employee pharmacists reporting other issues at or as a result of work – including pressure from management, trouble sleeping and harassment – had also decreased from the previous year. For the second year running, locum community pharmacists reported fewer work-related problems than their employee peers, with 55 per cent saying they had suffered from stress at or as a result of work in the past 12 months, down from 62 per cent in 2010. One in three locum pharmacists reported increasing paperwork, down from almost two in three in 2010. Despite the apparent decrease in problems associated with workplace pressures, charity Pharmacist Support said the figures remained "disturbing", if unsurprising. "It doesn't seem hard to identify the factors behind workplace stress, but the challenge lies in finding workable solutions to redress this situation," said charity manager Diane Leicester. Stress was a personal issue and therefore not easily solvable via any one measure, she said. "A range of measures to help provide solutions to some of the high profile issues such as responsible pharmacist regulations, working times and targets, etc, would have a wider impact."  

More news, in-depth analysis and comment from the C+D salary Survey 2011, plus crunch your numbers to see how your pay measures up with the C+D Salary Calculator