Workforce update - Joiners, leavers, and practising and non-practising pharmacists on the 2009 Register

The number of pharmacists on the Register of Pharmacists has increased for the fourth year, following the drop in numbers associated with the introduction of the non-practising Register in 2005. The feminisation of the workforce continues, although the rate of growth has slowed slightly. Women continue to predominate in the younger age groups, with women now representing 65 per cent of pharmacists on the Register under the age of 40 years. The proportion of pharmacists on the non-practising Register has fallen slightly in 2009. As in previous years, a significant proportion of pharmacists on the non-practising Register had an overseas address, suggesting that these pharmacists may be staying on the Register to keep in touch with developments in pharmacy or to allow them to re-enter should they decide to return to the UK. As in 2008, new entries on the Register are more likely to be female, young, from an ethnic minority background and with a registered address in England. Leavers are more likely to be older and to have a registered address overseas. Female leavers were younger than their male counterparts and made up the majority of those leaving under the age of 40. It is likely that some of these women may be leaving the Register to take maternity leave or longer career breaks for childcare reasons. Overseas qualified pharmacists currently make up 11 per cent of the Register, with pharmacists from European Economic Area countries constituting the largest proportion of this group. A significant proportion of pharmacists are also entering the Register via the adjudication route, in which they are expected to complete a period of study, followed by the preregistration training and examination currendy undertaken by home MPharm students. For the third year, the Register provides data on independent and supplementary prescribes in pharmacy. The numbers are still fairly small, albeit growing, particularly for independent prescribers, and it is helpful to build up a picture of who is taking on these new roles. As in 2008, independent and supplementary prescribers are more likely to be female, aged between 30 and 49 years and to be of white ethnic origin. Pharmacists from an Asian background were under-represented among both independent and supplementary prescribers when compared with the Register as a whole. Independent and supplementary prescribers who responded to the 2008 census were most likely to work in the hospital or primary care sectors.