Demand for the charity’s services continues to grow year on year

Pharmacist Support's new Wardley wellbeing service and student bursary scheme have both proved successful in their first year, according to the charity's annual report.

Over 470 acts of support were provided via the Wardley wellbeing workshops, e-therapy programmes and webinars, and four bursaries were awarded totalling £24,000 to students entering their final year of study. Following the success of the bursary pilot, the scheme has been rolled out across the country for the 2014/15 academic year with 20 universities participating. The bursary makes awards to students who demonstrate financial hardship, outstanding and exceptional qualities to overcome an ongoing adversity, sound academic performance and who are expected by their school of pharmacy to make a positive contribution to pharmacy in Great Britain.

Pharmacist Support delivered 1,891 individual acts of support in 2014, a 20 per cent increase on the previous year. This included over 730 enquiries, 249 calls from Listening Friend volunteers to those dealing with a range of stressful situations, financial assistance to 191 individuals experiencing hardship, 211 referrals to specialist CAB advisers for debt, benefits and employment advice, and support for 26 individuals with dependency issues via the Health Support Programme.

“We are delighted with the response we have received from both the Wardley wellbeing service and student bursary scheme,” said charity chair Professor Peter Noyce (pictured). “A lot of time and energy has been invested into trialling and refining these new services and the results have been impressive. Feedback from universities, training providers, employers and individuals has been very positive and we shall continue to monitor and enhance this support to ensure that it responds to the needs of those in the profession.”

Chief Executive Diane Leicester-Hallam (pictured) said: “Demand for the charity’s services continues to grow year on year. We have seen a consistent annual increase in service use and this has led to the amount of support we provide doubling in the past five years. In order for us to sustain this level of activity it is crucial that we secure funds from those in the profession. 2016 marks the charity’s 175th anniversary and we hope that organisations, teams and individuals alike will join us in not only celebrating this milestone, but in showing their support through donations and fundraising activities.”

The Pharmacist Support 2014 annual review can be viewed in full here.