Do you feel you’re being paid enough?
Or, as one respondent put it, are you feeling like “pharmacists are having the life squeezed out of them, whilst other healthcare professions are getting raises. Absolutely ridiculous!”
As it happens, some 60% of C+D readers say you are satisfied with your salary, though to varying degrees.
The biggest chunk (43%) from the hundreds of responses said they were ‘fairly satisfied’ with their salary.
Not a ringing endorsement, but another 3% said they were ‘more than’ satisfied, and 13% said they were ‘very satisfied’ with their annual remuneration.
One pharmacist, who reported feeling ‘more than satisfied’, said her employers are an “independent small chain. The fact that they have given me a bonus and a pay rise despite the fact that they are financially struggling themselves shows what amazing people they are.”
Read more: Salary Survey: How do you feel about the future?
A wide range of roles were satisfied on some level, including superintendents, pharmacy technicians, branch managers and dispensary assistants.
Grossly underpaid
However, that leaves 41% who were flat out dissatisfied with their salary – and again that was spread across a range of roles.
Of those, 18% blamed their employer for their dissatisfaction.
Just over 2% blamed the relevant negotiator for returning with a lame deal and failing to negotiate a new one.
“Community Pharmacist leads are agreeing to services without assessing the stress, workload and wages in community pharmacy,” said one branch manager, female, who reported earning between £20-24k.
“This goes all the way to the top. We have enough time to handle increased workload due to closures.”
Another 14% blamed the government. And the remainder blamed a combination of all three.
Read more: Salary Survey: Do you have faith in the government?
“All of the above, because when I speak to colleagues in other company’s they are in similar boats,” said one pharmacist. They declined to reveal their salary figure, but did say they had received a bonus, albeit in the form of shopping vouchers.
“PSNC (CPE) contract work has been poor,” said one superintendent, male, earning between £30-£34k (plus a £10k bonus).
“The government are miles away with funding, both these affect employer’s ability to raise wages.”
One accuracy checking technician (female, aged between 31-34, earning £44k, received no bonus) pinned the blame on “all associated bodies.”
“Too much emphasis is placed on pharmacists with no acknowledgement for the grossly underpaid and overworked team that support them.”
Peanuts
“I think the government need to take responsibility and increase funding into the sector,” said one community, hospital and palliative care pharmacy technician.
“We have seen the massive increases in costs for employers, and they simply do not have the cash to pay staff better.
“More needs to be done, and it needs to be highlighted how much pharmacy professionals do on a day-to-day basis.”
Read more: Salary Survey: Do you get value from your trade associations?
Another accuracy checking technician laid their situation bare.
“I’ve been paid peanuts for the amount of work and the shifts I am putting in. It’s been ongoing since I started working in independent pharmacy 11 years ago,” he said.
“I’ve never been paid sick pay. I do almost everything at work, checking stock deliveries, labelling, dispensing, checking clinically checked prescriptions and sorting out patients pharmaceutical queries, making blisters, checking blisters, cleaning, and sometimes I deliver medicines to local patients.
“Now, even after I qualified as an accuracy pharmacy technician, these are the jobs I have to do at my current pharmacy on a daily basis, and I’m only paid £14 an hour. I believe this is unfair, but it is a fact I have to accept.”
The C+D Salary Survey ran from October 16 2024 to Dec 31 2024
