Impact of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) on the professional practice and personal wellbeing of community pharmacy teams in the UK

Objectives Community pharmacy teams (CPTs) were at the frontline of dealing with patients throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to explore the impact on professional practice and personal well-being of CPTs, in the UK. Methods A 25-item survey was designed including a range of open and closed questions. The survey was piloted before being published online via SurveyMonkey and distributed using social media platforms. A combination of opportunity and snowball sampling was employed to recruit participants who worked in community pharmacy (CP) during the pandemic. Results In total 758 participants (75% completion rate) including pharmacists, owners, managers, technicians, dispensers, healthcare assistants and pre-registration pharmacists took part. Increased workloads and working hours coupled with staff shortages compromised professional practice (n = 257, 35%). Some of the key challenges of working in CP during the pandemic included: a fear of contracting and passing the virus to others (n = 578, 78%), patients stockpiling medicines (n= 530, 71%) and doctors' surgeries being closed (n= 517, 70%)The impact on emotional well-being (n= 433, 76%) included stress, anxiety, depression and loneliness; physically (n = 322, 56%) it affected sleep, pain and weight. The effects of the pandemic left 45% (n = 258/569) of participants reconsidering their future in CP as they felt demotivated, unsupported and undervalued. Conclusion Despite the enhanced pressures and lack of initial recognition CPTs played a vital role in caring for the population during the pandemic. Resources to better support pharmacy teams in the future not only rely on more funding for better provisions but also investing in CPTs' well-being.