Responding and adapting quickly to need
“Utilising the research findings from our annual joint workforce wellbeing survey with the RPS as well as our own service user feedback, the charity has been able to ensure that we provide the support that is needed by our pharmacy family right now” commented Pharmacist Support Chair of Trustees Esther Sadler-Williams. “It has been critical that we were able to respond and adapt quickly to need which is something we are particularly proud of. In 2022, thanks to continued funding from the COVID-19 Health Support Appeal (CHSA), and following feedback from service users and our counselling provider, we were able to increase the number of counselling sessions individuals were able to access. In total, across the year, we were able to provide 911 funded counselling sessions – a 214% increase on 2021 figures.”
Investing in digital
During 2022 the charity also launched phase two of its website development and customer relationship management system enabling us to reach and support more individuals.
“Through these developments our beneficiaries can now access a wealth of information and self-refer for a range of services via our website” said Sadler-Williams. “This has included the ability to submit a grant application via our secure portal.”
By December 2022, compared to 2021 the charity experienced a 44% increase in the number of grants awarded to those in the profession in need of financial assistance.
Pharmacist Support Chair of Trustees Esther Sadler-Williams
The Charity’s now well established annual ACTNow wellbeing campaign has also gone from strength to strength, with signups across its three targeted campaign periods up 49%, and social media engagement with the campaign up 197% compared to 2021.
Valuing partnership and volunteers
To manage this growing demand, in 2022 the charity focused its efforts on increasing income and developing its volunteer base. The way in which we fundraise has changed significantly since 2020, with the organisation now focused on working with key partners across the profession. In a similar way, the charity has been developing new ways of engaging volunteers to support its work.
“We recognise that as a small charity, we couldn’t achieve all that we have alone. It is thanks to the dedication of our growing pool of amazing volunteers, and the support of our partners and donors that all of this has been possible. Through these valuable relationships we have been able to raise awareness of, and to develop and deliver our support offering.
In 2022 we experienced a 36% increase in the value of our corporate donations and would in particular like to recognize the ongoing support of the PDA and Teva UK.
Pharmacist Support Chair of Trustees Esther Sadler-Williams
“Also partnering with us to develop our wellbeing activities in 2022 were Boots, Well Pharmacy and Day Lewis, as well as a host of other organisations whose support enabled us to reach many more individuals.”
Reliance on individual donations
The charity also wanted to highlight the importance of and its reliance on income from individuals such as Joy Wingfield, who’s generous legacy enabled it to deliver even greater impact.
“Joy Wingfield was one of the UK’s leading figures in Pharmacy Law and Ethics” said Sadler-Williams. “She gave immense support to her profession during her life and continues to support her peers through leaving a legacy to Pharmacist Support in her will. Thanks to Joy’s gift, this facilitated our ability during 2022 to meet the increasing demand for wellbeing support. This remains something we are having to address as funding from the CHSA has ended and demand for our counselling support continues to rise. We encourage anyone reading this to consider leaving a gift to the charity in their Will to help us to continue to support our pharmacy family now and into the future.”
Check out our 2022 Impact Report
