Pharmacy Daily | Workforce shortage crisis

ADVANCED Pharmacy Australia (AdPha) has released a new report revealing an innovative and diversifying profession hamstrung by resourcing pressures, which restricts equitable access to essential hospital care.

The first comprehensive examination of Australia's hospital pharmacy workforce, The State of Pharmacy: Workforce Insights 2025 report details the scale and impact of workforce shortages across Australia, which are set to worsen due to increasing capacity demands and widespread job vacancies.

The report showed that three-quarters of hospital and health service sites reduced pharmacy services in the previous 12 months due to workforce shortages, with AdPha President Associate Professor Tom Simpson saying "hospital pharmacy is at an inflection point".

"Almost all sites (99.3%) have additional hospital and transition beds funded for the next 24 months, with at least 1,439 new beds coming into the system nationally, however 64.5% of sites reported FTE vacancies for pharmacists on current bed capacities alone," Assoc Prof Simpson said.

"Only one in six hospital sites nationally provide extended-hours clinical pharmacy services on weekdays, and less than one third provide weekend services, despite weekend emergency department activity mirroring weekday patterns," he said, pointing out that patients who arrive on the weekend "deserve the same quality of care".

AdPha Vice President Brenda Shum said the report will help chart a course forward for advanced pharmacy.

"For too long, the vital contribution of hospital pharmacists and pharmacy technicians has been under-recognised in national workforce planning, which stems from a lack of visibility.

'This report changes that narrative by providing data and insights into who we are, what we do, and the measurable impact we have on patient outcomes and healthcare sustainability."

Read the report HERE.