Pharmacist Support has awarded £696,410 in financial assistance grants in the last five years, it announced last week (July 18). 

The charity for pharmacists, trainees and pharmacy students said it represented an 82% increase in grants awarded from 2020 to 2024. 

The money was spread across 592 grants. 

Read more: Student champion on navigating the daunting challenge of graduating in pharmacy

It comes as the charity released a report on its impact from its previous five-year strategy between 2020 to 2024. 

Other highlights from its grants giving services include: 

• 168 total grants awarded which represents a 20% YoY increase from 2023  
• Awarding £193,528 to 40 students from 2020 to 2024 after improving its student bursary scheme 

A University of Hertfordshire graduate said the bursary “made it possible for me to complete my MPharm degree and graduate” as “a considerable amount of worry and stress was alleviated when I used the funds toward my tuition fees”. 

Read more: Pharmacist Support celebrates 184th birthday with donations appeal

The charity reported a 104% increase in fundraising income (excluding legacy fundraising income) when comparing the last and first year of its strategy. 

And it reported a 20% year-on-year (YoY) increase from 2023 in its income raised from corporate partners. 

Wellbeing support

Pharmacist Support chair Esther Sadler-Williams said 2024 “has seen us deliver more support than ever before” and she is “proud of what we’ve achieved”. 

The charity won two awards – the Charity Learning Consortium Excellence in Workforce Wellbeing Award and Culture Pioneer Wellbeing Award – for its wellbeing work and Sadler-Williams said it was “a testament to the dedication of our staff, volunteers, and partners”. 

Its annual Workforce Wellbeing Survey had 5.5 times more responses in 2024 compared to the previous year, as it reported 91% of respondents working in community pharmacy are “at high risk of burnout”. 

Read more: Burnout, inadequate staffing and loneliness: Wellbeing survey reveals ‘relentless’ pressure in pharmacy

During that year, Pharmacist Support had funded 439 counselling sessions after making 23% increase in referrals to these services compared to 2023. 

It also: 

• Had a 30% increase YoY in student sign-ups to its wellbeing campaign called ACTNow 
• Had a 72% increase in referrals to its peer support network Listening Friends scheme from 2024 compared to 2020 

One pharmacist said Pharmacist Support has “always gone above and beyond in supporting me” after she used the counselling service. 

Read more: Pharmacist charity launch new fundraising campaign

“When these sessions eventually did come to an end, Pharmacist Support paired me with a Listening Friend through their Peer Support service. My Listening Friend phoned me every week and would spend an hour speaking to me about everything I was dealing with.

"These sessions gave me the courage that I could handle everything I was going through, they gave me the strength to carry on and to believe in myself.” 

It comes as Pharmacist Support chair Sadler-Williams said she was “excited to launch our new strategy, which builds on this momentum and sets out a bold vision for the next five years”. 

New strategy

The 2025 – 2030 strategy has set new aims building on the “foundation of the past five years” and includes: 

• Raising awareness of Pharmacist Support and wellbeing across the profession 
• Building partnerships that expand reach and impact 
• Delivering tailored support that reflects the evolving needs of the pharmacy workforce 
• Ensuring sustainability through digital innovation and vital fundraising 

Earlier this month, C+D chatted to Pharmacist Support’s wellbeing champion of the year on how her role as a student ambassador for the charity had supported her peers. 

And In April, Pharmacist Support celebrated its 184th birthday.