Making The Most of the Pharmacy Workforce

The NHS is asking more of pharmacists than ever before, yet the systems designed to support them have not kept pace. As workforce pressures intensify across the health service, pharmacy

at a critical juncture: highly trained, widely accessible, and increasingly essential, but still constrained by structural barriers. Today, that is evolving into a new strategic frontier, one that asks; "How do we develop and utilise the pharmacy workforce to meet growing system needs?".

This question framed the third roundtable of the UK Medicines Policy Series, held on the 8th of September 2025 and hosted by the Global Policy Network (GPN). Chaired by Stephen Riley, Deputy Regional Chief Pharmacist for Pharmacy Integration at NHS England Northwest, the discussion gathered senior leaders from Integrated Care Boards (ICB), NHS trusts, community and hospital pharmacy, academia, and training organisations. Together, they explored what it will take for pharmacy to not only meet but shape the future of patient care.

At the heart of the conversation was a simple premise: the NHS cannot modernise without a workforce that is empowered to act. The discussion centred on a simple but critical question: “How can the UK create systems that allow pharmacists to lead, prescribe, and innovate as part of truly integrated care?” Three long-term priorities from the NHS plan were highlighted to empower the pharmacy sector: moving from analogue to digital systems, shifting care from hospitals to primary care, and investing in prevention. Participants agreed that community pharmacy sits at the centre of all three. However, this potential can only be realised if legislation, funding, and infrastructure evolve in parallel. Without that alignment, ambition risks outpacing

delivery.

This focus on integration revealed one of the most persistent challenges facing the profession that is fragmentation. Participants spoke of the “us and them” mindset that still divides community pharmacy and general practice. Indeed, competing incentives in local contracts can inadvertently set professionals against each other. Instead, the speakers emphasised the need for shared governance, open communication, and workforce planning that unites pharmacy across settings.

Practical examples illustrated the point: in Brighton, local teams are bringing GPs and pharmacists together, over informal evenings of discussion and collaboration, to clarify referral pathways under Pharmacy First. Elsewhere, regional leaders are linking ICBs, Primary Care Networks, and hospital trusts to map workforce gaps collectively, rather than sector by sector. As one participant put it, “Ninety per cent of what we do across sectors is the same; we just focus on the ten per cent that’s different.” The future of patient-centred care, they agreed, depends on shifting that perspective.

If integration is the goal, education is the enabler. Participants emphasised that sustainable reform begins with a strong foundation at university and early career stages. Suggestions included structured cross-sector placements and the exploration of a pharmacy deanery model, mirroring medical rotations, to expose early-career pharmacists to the realities of integrated working. There was widespread agreement that all parts of the profession, from undergraduates to mid- and late-

career pharmacists, must have opportunities for leadership and professional growth.

Training and supervision were seen as essential, particularly with the upcoming expansion of independent prescribing. Furthermore, they underlined the importance of ring-fenced budgets for supervision and mentorship, warning that without these, new prescribers might qualify but be unable to practise effectively. Lastly highlighted was the importance of educational content itself, arguing that universities should “teach what is real to life” and prepare students for integrated working across

systems. “If you build a very strong foundation,” someone said, “the house will stand.”

Continuously, a modern workforce cannot succeed without modern infrastructure. The group echoed a consistent demand: that pharmacists need full, read–write access to shared care records to ensure safe, effective prescribing and continuity of care. Speakers cited progress through local digital integration but acknowledged that access remains uneven across England. Digital enablement was framed not as a technological aspiration, but as a non-negotiable requirement for clinical accountability. Looking ahead, participants also reflected on the growing role of automation, data analytics, and artificial intelligence, stressing that future systems must amplify professional capability rather than constrain it.

The roundtable’s concluding discussion turned toward visible and accountable leadership. An outline of a vision for pharmacy embedded within every level of NHS transformation was elaborated: from neighbourhood care to prevention and long-term condition management. This call to action was twofold: pharmacy must speak with one voice, and leadership must be statutory and visible across all commissioning structures.

Overall, the need for both system-level and local leadership was stressed. Establishing Chief Pharmacist roles within ICBs, supported by local pharmacy leads, was seen as a necessary step in positioning pharmacy. Only then can pharmacy be treated as a true clinical partner and not an adjunct to primary care. Late-career pharmacists,

technicians, and educators were also recognised as essential to workforce sustainability, serving as mentors and advocates for the next generation.

By the close of the session, one conclusion was overarching: the pharmacy workforce is ready. The question now is whether the system is prepared to catch up.

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