The average salary of the 287 “second or non-manager pharmacists” who completed the survey – which ran from October 1 to November 14 – increased by £773, from £35,995 in 2018 to £36,768.
The figure marked a faster rise than 2018’s Salary Survey, which saw an increase of £374 since the previous year.
Between 2015 and 2017, salaries for non-manager pharmacists rose by an average of £292 a year.
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Almost half dissatisfied
Some 46% of second or non-manager pharmacists who completed the survey said they are dissatisfied with their pay, two percentage points more than the previous year.
One pharmacist said: “I am earning the same hourly rate as I did as a newly qualified pharmacist, 26 years ago. In effect, this is a massive reduction in real terms of pay and yet we have to do over twice as much work.
“No one in pharmacy is paid anywhere near enough for what they do,” they continued.
Another said: “I have to do a lot of services and after nearly 10 years of sincere hard work, my hourly rate is about £19.95.”
One respondent said: “The only time you get a pay rise is if you move role or store or threaten to leave to work for a competitor. Pharmacy will look less and less appealing to graduates if this is not rectified.”
Another said: “No amount of extra pay can justify me working in such a stressful environment. The amount of work is unbearable.”
“Pay far too low”
Over half of respondents (57%) said their pay increased over the previous 12 months, with half of these saying it increased by just 1%.
Only 5% of all second or non-manager pharmacists said their pay had decreased, while 38% said their salary had remained the same.
Half of non-manager pharmacists said they received a bonus in the past year.
One pharmacist said: “Pay in community pharmacy is far too low when compared to other sectors, particularly compared with community pharmacy in other countries.”
Another said their salary was “minimal” for the “amount of work we do and stress we get”.
The C+D Salary Survey 2019 – the largest UK survey of community pharmacy, and the biggest in the survey's 12-year history – ran between October 1 and November 14 and was completed by a total of 2,556 pharmacists and pharmacy staff. C+D's ongoing coverage from the survey can be found on our dedicated hub.
Search through hundreds of pharmacist roles on the C+D Jobs website.
