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The PDA Union and Boots have announced the terms of their 2026 pay deal, which will see all pharmacists covered by the bargaining agreement receive a 3.4 per cent salary increase from November 1.

The minimum salary for employee pharmacists with over 10 years’ experience at the chain will rise from £55,650 to £57,452, meaning that all pharmacists still paid less than that once the 3.4 per cent increase is added will be brought up to that minimum level from November.

Pharmacist managers will also see their minimum salaries rise, going up from £57,200 to £59,145 for managers of small stores, from £60,000 to £62,040 for managers of medium-sized stores and from £65,000 to £67,210 for managers of large stores.

Designated prescribing practitioners (DPPs) will receive an honorarium of £330 for every independent prescriber (IP) they supervise upon sign-off, 10 per cent higher than in the current pay deal, while the honorarium for those supervising trainee pharmacists will rise by two per cent to £1,530.

Meanwhile, pharmacists who qualify as IPs will receive a minimum salary increase of three per cent on top of the overall pay award, with Boots commenting that line managers “will be provided with clear guidance on the review process and timescales”.

The system for issuing payments to pharmacists who take on shifts at short notice has changed, with pharmacists to receive a pro rate £75 payment for shifts agreed within 48 hours of their start time. This replaces a previous system whereby pharmacists could receive £100-£120 for short notice shifts but sometimes found their circumstances fell outside the company’s policy for issuing the payment. 

Guidance will be published on November 1 setting out “the approach to travel time for colleagues who are required, at our request, to travel away from their substantive base to fulfil a shift,” said Boots. 

The bargaining group does not include pharmacists who joined or had a pay increase since August 1, those rated as ‘not performing’ at the end of the company’s financial year or trainee pharmacists.

Boots and the PDAU said: “This settlement recognises the vital role pharmacists play in delivering accessible healthcare to patients and communities across the UK. Their contributions are deeply appreciated by both Boots and the PDA Union, who have a joint commitment to collaborating to ensure a rewarding future for all pharmacists at Boots.

“Both negotiation teams thank pharmacists for their continued commitment to looking after patients and communities.”