Last year, through a combination of advocacy, innovation, and direct support, the PDA delivered measurable improvements for pharmacists, patients, and the wider health system.
key highlights of 2025
1. UK Leadership
The PDA is the UK’s largest independent membership organisation and trade union exclusively for pharmacists. In June 2025, the PDA announced that its membership had officially surpassed 40,000, marking a significant milestone for pharmacists and the pharmacy profession. This growth reflects the increasing recognition among pharmacists, students, and trainees of the value and support the PDA provides.
Unlike other pharmacy bodies, the PDA is run by and for pharmacists, with no representation of pharmacy owners, ensuring its focus remains solely on the needs and interests of employed and locum pharmacists. Membership figures are independently verified and formally announced at the PDA’s Annual General Meeting, providing transparency and credibility unmatched by other organisations in the sector.
The PDA’s scale and independence enable it to influence employment conditions, professional standards, and policy from the workforce perspective. Members benefit from a unique combination of legal defence, indemnity insurance, trade union representation, and specialist support, making the PDA a powerful advocate for pharmacists at every stage of their career.
2. Championing workforce voice and wellbeing
The PDA’s Workforce Wellbeing and Financial Resilience Strategy set a new benchmark for supporting pharmacists’ mental health and resilience. By providing practical resources, launching sector-wide campaigns, and influencing national conversations, the PDA has shown it understands the real pressures facing the workforce and is equipped to address them. This proactive approach has positioned the PDA as a credible authority on wellbeing, with its strategy referenced by employers and policymakers alike.
3. Charitable partnership
The PDA’s commitment to workforce wellbeing is exemplified by its strategic partnership with Pharmacist Support, the profession’s independent charity. This partnership demonstrates the PDA’s credibility as a compassionate leader, prioritising the holistic needs of the pharmacy workforce and collaborating with trusted sector organisations.
The PDA donates £1 per member each year to Pharmacist Support and actively encourages members to contribute when joining or renewing their membership. Thanks to this initiative, the PDA’s total donations since the start of the initiative in 2017 are now approaching half a million pounds. This year, the PDA will contribute more than £40,000 equal to our audited member number. This funding has been vital in enabling the charity to expand its services and provide essential wellbeing support to pharmacists across the UK.
Together we have participated in Pharmacist Support’s podcast, providing practical advice and emotional support for pharmacists, tackling issues such as stress, resilience, and mental health by focussing on creating connections within pharmacy. The PDA worked in partnership with Pharmacist Support on their Walk for Wellbeing campaign, raising awareness and funds for pharmacist mental health and wellbeing services.
4. Securing rights and fair pay
Union recognition at Superdrug was achieved with an overwhelming 94% member mandate, which demonstrates the PDA’s ability to organise, mobilise, and deliver for its members. This success not only empowered pharmacists to negotiate collectively for better pay and conditions but also set a precedent for the sector, reinforcing the PDA’s credibility as an effective union and negotiator.
The pay settlement at Boots further underlines the PDA’s negotiating strength and its commitment to ensuring pharmacists are recognised and rewarded as essential healthcare professionals.
The PDA’s commitment to collective representation was further strengthened in 2025 by the merger of the Boots Pharmacists Association (BPA) into the PDA. Following a decisive ballot, 96% of BPA members voted in favour of joining the PDA, recognising the benefits of unified representation and enhanced negotiating power. This merger not only increased PDA membership but also consolidated the voice of employed pharmacists within the sector, ensuring greater influence in pay negotiations, workplace conditions, and professional advocacy.
5. Leading on EDI and Inclusive Pharmacy Practice (IPP)
The PDA has established itself as a sector leader in equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). By spearheading Inclusive Pharmacy Practice Week, the PDA has championed diversity and ensured that underrepresented voices are heard and valued.
Celebrating 120 years of the NAWP Network and marking International Women’s Day, the PDA has highlighted the achievements of women in pharmacy and advocated for gender equality and leadership opportunities.
The PDA’s EDI networks, now in their fifth year, and the election of the first president of the PDA Ability Network, further demonstrate a sustained, credible commitment to inclusion and representation.
6. Humanitarian leadership and global engagement
The PDA’s humanitarian ethos is evident in its Pharmacists for Humanity event, which inspired future pharmacists to focus on humanitarian values and support vulnerable communities.
At the FIP Congress 2025, the PDA represented UK pharmacy on a global stage, sharing best practice and collaborating internationally to advance the profession. This engagement demonstrates the PDA’s credibility not just nationally, but as a respected contributor to global pharmacy progress.
7. Supporting locums and ensuring equity
The PDA’s practical support for locum pharmacists, warning about wage theft, recovering nearly £1 million in unpaid debts, and advocating for equitable treatment shows a deep understanding of the sector’s challenges and a proven ability to deliver solutions. This work has earned the PDA the trust of locums and reinforced its reputation as a champion for all pharmacists, regardless of their employment status.
8. Influencing national policy and patient safety
The PDA’s interventions are widely respected and often cited by regulators and policymakers, underlining its credibility as a thought leader in the field.
The PDA’s advocacy on patient safety, challenging the liberalisation of pharmacy medicine sales, highlighting risks and keeping patient safety at the forefront of pharmacy practice. Leading the sector in keeping pharmacists central to the debate on P-medicines, the PDA has consistently opposed facilitated self-selection and the liberalisation of pharmacy medicine sales, ensuring patient safety and professional expertise remain at the heart of regulatory decisions.
The PDA has been a vocal advocate for robust patient safeguards in online prescribing. In 2025, the PDA publicly challenged the General Pharmaceutical Council’s latest guidance, arguing that it still does not go far enough to protect patients. By highlighting risks and calling for stronger regulation, the PDA has reinforced its credibility as a champion for patient safety and professional standards.
9. Shaping the future of pharmacy
Launching the PDA’s Emerging Leaders Programme is a testament to the PDA’s forward-thinking approach, equipping the next generation of pharmacy leaders with the skills and confidence to shape the future of healthcare delivery.
The PDA’s sector-leading responses to the NHS 10-Year Plan ensure that pharmacists’ voices are central in long-term health strategy, demonstrating strategic insight and influence at the highest levels.
Learn more: www.the-pda.org/pda-responds-to-the-nhs-10-year-plan
10. Direct advocacy with Government and tackling bad practice
The PDA’s credibility as an advocate is further demonstrated by its direct engagement with the pharmacy minister to address urgent issues facing both employed pharmacists and locums at Jhoots pharmacies. By raising concerns at the highest level and securing government attention to tackle bad business practices, the PDA has shown it can deliver real change for its members.
11. Award-winning innovation
The PDA’s ‘Medicines To’ campaign was recognised as Healthcare Innovation of the Year at the 2025 Chemist & Druggist Awards. This accolade is a testament to the PDA’s ability to deliver creative, impactful solutions that improve medicines access and patient care, further cementing its reputation for excellence and innovation.
By Jay Badenhorst, PDA Director of Pharmacy
Get involved
Learn more
- PDA EDI Networks
- Building connection in pharmacy: A conversation on wellbeing and loneliness
- Pharmacy reimagined: Leading the change, together
- Is the government’s 10-Year Health Plan for England fit for the future?
- Recognising excellence, representing members: Reflections from the House of Lords
- The expanding role of pharmacists and pharmacies in public health – and why they are being let down
- One in three pharmacists now Independent Prescribers – A significant milestone, but challenges persist
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If you have not yet joined the PDA, we encourage you to join today and ask your colleagues to do the same.
Membership is FREE to pharmacy students, trainee pharmacists and for the first three months of being newly qualified.
Read about our key member benefits here.