Kicking off on World Pharmacists Day (25th September), the 2021 campaign will run for five weeks (25th September – 29th October), with each week focusing on one of the well-established five ways to wellbeing – Be Active, Give, Take Notice, Keep Learning and Connect.   

“Acting on campaign feedback, this year we’ve taken a more targeted approach, running three separate campaigns at relevant times of the year for each group in our pharmacy family (students, trainees and pharmacists)” commented Pharmacist Support Chief Executive Danielle Hunt.   

“The final instalment, our pharmacist focused ACTNow campaign, aspires to provide tools and inspiration to enable and support our pharmacy family to prioritise mental health and wellbeing in the workplace. The campaign also shines a light on the mental health support available, including the charity’s new counselling service.   

“The pandemic has piled additional pressures onto an already overstretched and burnt-out profession. Now more than ever, we feel we all need to work together to unpick the issues exposed over the past year and ensure that support is in place and accessible to all to help navigate our way out. 

“To do this we feel it is essential that everyone across the profession comes together to highlight the importance of the wellbeing agenda. Following on from our wellbeing work with the PDA and RPS and the subsequent launch of the profession’s Inclusion and Wellbeing Pledge, we want to support and enable a cultural shift in workforce wellbeing.”   

Thanks to the support of the PDA and Day Lewis Pharmacy, across the campaign the charity will share information, resources and activities based around each of the 5 ways to wellbeing themes, with activities including live workouts and weekly panel chats that will take a look at the science behind wellbeing and why it works. 

Tying in with the KEEP LEARNING theme, Pharmacist Support is excited to be launching a new wellbeing learning platform and website, enabling individuals to take control of their own wellbeing journeys. 

As part of the GIVE element of the campaign, and in recognition of 25 years of its peer support scheme Listening Friends, the charity will also be seeking to recruit individuals keen to give their time as Listening Friends volunteers. The Listening Friends peer support service offers individuals a chance to speak in confidence and anonymously with a fellow pharmacist about the stresses or pressures working in or studying pharmacy may be causing them.  

“We received a fantastic response to the ACTNow campaign from pharmacists, students and trainees up and down the country last year” said Danielle Hunt, “and through the newly developed Wardley Wellbeing Hub we were able to provide over 6,800 acts of support to 4,800 individuals across the campaign period.   

“Thanks to the support of partners and sponsors we hope to engage with more pharmacists and deliver an even greater impact over the coming weeks. Once again, we encourage pharmacists to sign up to the campaign and get involved – to Allow time for wellbeing, Consider the needs of their colleagues and to Take ACTion!”  

Pharmacist Support are encouraging those across the profession to make a commitment to prioritise their wellbeing and get behind the campaign. To pledge support and ACTNow visit WellbeingHub.PharmacistSupport.org.   

ENDS 

For further information, interviews or access to imagery please contact Kate Westbrook on 0161 441 0313 or email kate.westbrook@pharmacistsupport.org  

Notes to editors: 

• Pharmacist Support is an independent charity for pharmacists and their families, former pharmacists, trainees and pharmacy students and is funded by donations from pharmacists and pharmacy organisations.

• Pharmacist Support was previously known as The Benevolent Fund of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain and was re-launched in 2008 to reflect the modern day needs of today’s pharmacists. Pharmacist Support became a charitable company limited by guarantee in 2015.

• The Charity provides confidential advice and support with issues relating to stress & wellbeing, welfare, addiction and finance.  

• All services are FREE of charge and include; an information and enquiry service, financial assistance, debt, benefits and employment advice, counselling and peer support (Listening Friends), home visiting, addiction support and the Wardley wellbeing service.

• Some of the services offered are delivered directly by trained volunteer pharmacists. Due to a shared professional background, these volunteers are uniquely positioned to be able to understand the specific pressures pharmacists and their families and pharmacy students face.