Well Pharmacy has announced it is paying all its employee pharmacists “an extra £300” for completing mandatory training in new NHS services.

In a LinkedIn post last Friday (January 5), the multiple said every pharmacist would receive a £300 payment upon completion of training in Pharmacy First and tiers 1 and 2 of the pharmacy contraception service, which it described as a “great opportunity to acquire new skills and help support the NHS”.

“As both these services will play a vital role in improving patient access to healthcare advice and treatment, it is essential that we are prepared for their launch on January 31,” it continued. 

“That’s why we will pay all of our pharmacists an extra £300 to complete this mandatory training.”

When approached for comment, a Well Pharmacy spokesperson told P3pharmacy: “We are excited at the opportunity Pharmacy First in England brings to our sector and are supporting our teams in preparing for the initial launch on 31 January. 

“We have invested in the necessary resources and training to help coach, engage and train our pharmacists and pharmacy teams; this includes in-house training materials, videos and local training events.

“We are hopeful for a successful sector-wide launch, which again shows commissioners the capability our sector possesses and encourages the swift expansion of the service to include more ailments to relieve pressure from GP practices, urgent and emergency care centres and A&E.”

The multiple did not respond when asked whether pharmacists have been offered protected learning time during their working hours, and whether it will require all locum pharmacists to have completed training in these services in order to take shifts at Well branches. 

Last October, the Pharmacists’ Defence Association and Boots announced the terms of the latest pay agreement for employee Boots pharmacists, who in August 2024 will receive a one-off payment of £750 aimed at supporting “the active delivery of new pharmacy services” across the UK.