Pharmacy owners and team members are being asked to share their views on the pressures facing the sector to help inform upcoming funding negotiations with the government.

Community Pharmacy England (CPE) has launched its fourth annual Pressures Survey as part of its ongoing work to ‘monitor and quantify’ the ‘intolerable challenges’ community pharmacies are up against.

Survey results will be used to demonstrate the impact of the ‘crisis’ in community pharmacy to ministers and NHS leaders.

Importantly, CPE said taking part in the survey would help support ‘critical’ negotiations on the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework – which are expected to restart this month.

CPE chief executive Janet Morrison said: ‘As we enter another year, the pressures on community pharmacies, and the disastrous impact of many years of real terms funding cuts, continue to deepen.’

She added that the Pressures Survey would be used by CPE to ‘make this case to government and the NHS’, adding that it was a ‘powerful tool for influencing policy makers’.

‘Your answers will be used directly in conversations with government and the NHS as we continue to fight for a better future for community pharmacy. Every contribution will help.’

As in past years, the questionnaire is broken up into two surveys – one for pharmacy business owners and one for pharmacy teams.

They are expected to take around 10-15 minutes to complete and will remain open until 23.59 on 28 February 2025.

Findings from last year suggested almost two-thirds (62%) of pharmacy team members had a reduced ability to offer services or advice to patients because of staffing shortages.

Nearly all (95%) of pharmacy team members surveyed said that staff shortages had led to increased pressure on remaining staff, while 61% said that remaining staff had to increase their working hours and 86% said staff shortages had led to increased waiting times for patients.