Pharmacist Support is celebrating its 184th birthday today (April 15) by appealing for donations to boost the mental health support it offers to the pharmacy sector.

The charity is encouraging supporters to donate £18.40 in honour of the birthday and suggesting those wanting to take on fundraising challenges “walk 1.84 miles” or “run 18.4km”.

Others could “commit to giving something up” as a fundraising challenge, set up a regular donation, or fundraise as a team with a bake sale, quiz night or wellbeing activity, it said.

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

The callout for donations comes after its recent wellbeing survey with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) and the Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK (APTUK) showed 87% of pharmacy staff are at a “high risk of burnout”.

Other trends from the survey included that 70% of respondents felt inadequate staffing “negatively impacted their mental health and wellbeing” while the same number reported feeling lonely or isolated “often or very often”.

“Growing demand”

Pharmacist Support chief executive Danielle Hunt said: “We know that more and more people across the profession are reaching out for help - in the past year alone, referrals for counselling increased by 23%.

“We also saw a 15% rise in the number of individuals supported through our Listening Friends peer support service – a 72% increase compared to 2020. These numbers highlight the growing demand for our services and donations are essential to helping us continue to meet that need.”

Read more: PDA unveils free support services under five-year wellbeing strategy

One recent beneficiary said the support they received “meant the world to not just me, but my family as well”.

“Because I was struggling with self-harm, my mum and my partner were essentially coordinating their work schedules to make sure someone was always with me,” they said. “The support – both financial and through the counselling service – has meant they don’t have that burden to deal with now.”

“We’re asking our pharmacy family to come together and show their support,” Hunt said. “Every donation - no matter the size - helps us continue to be there for those who need us most.”

Read more: Pharmacist charity launch new fundraising campaign

The RPS also announced its birthday wishes for Pharmacist Support today by supporting the charity’s ‘Gift in Wills’ initiative that “offers RPS members the opportunity to create a free will”. 

Last month, the Pharmacists’ Defence Association (PDA) launched a new five-year workforce wellbeing strategy with a programme of free online and in-person events in partnership with Pharmacist Support, the Mental Wealth Academy and PG Mutual.