Thu 27 November 2025
'Inflection point’: Landmark hospital pharmacy workforce report reveals strategies to beat strain
The State of Pharmacy: Workforce Insights 2025 shows three-quarters of hospital and health service sites reduced pharmacy services in the previous 12 months due to workforce shortages.
New data from the first comprehensive examination of Australia's advanced pharmacy workforce shows an innovative and diversifying profession constrained by resourcing pressures, which restricts equitable access to essential hospital care, Advanced Pharmacy Australia (AdPha) has revealed today.
AdPha’s 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, alongside new data on expanding scope and specialisation.
AdPha President Assoc. Prof. Tom Simpson FANZCAP (Lead&Mgmt) says the data shows Australian 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.
‘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. Patients who arrive in ED on Saturday deserve the same quality of care as those who arrive on a Friday – but our hospitals aren’t delivering.
‘We know hospital pharmacists and technicians are balancing this reality every day – now, we have crucial data that explains the problem in stark light, making a shared commitment to solutions that will improve patient care all the more important.
‘On behalf of, and with our members, AdPha has long led the call to ensure a more sustainable hospital pharmacy workforce pipeline.
‘This can be achieved through a comprehensive, coordinated national approach linking infrastructure and workforce planning, with sustained investment in recruitment, structured career pathways, advanced practice recognition, and targeted support for rural and remote services.’
AdPha Vice President Brenda Shum FANZCAP (Lead&Mgmt) says the report – for which more than half of all Australian public and private hospitals provided detailed data – 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, both in and adjacent to hospital and acute care settings.
‘This is a fiercely proud profession that is being held back; we know this from countless conversations and consultations, member and multi-disciplinary feedback.
‘Now we have evidence that adds irrefutable weight, and the way forward is clearer than ever.’
View and download The State of Pharmacy: Workforce Insights 2025 →