The Pan-London Pharmacy EDI Champions Group is a cross-sector community of practice that brings together pharmacy colleagues from NHS trusts, Integrated Care Boards, community pharmacy, academia and national organisations to improve equity, diversity and inclusion across the pharmacy workforce. Established in 2024 and supported by NHS England London, the Group was created to provide a collaborative space where colleagues could identify workforce inequalities, share lived experience and develop practical solutions that improve inclusion, wellbeing and career sustainability across pharmacy services. The Group was founded on the belief that meaningful change requires action, not just discussion. Through regular meetings, peer support and collaborative working, members have created a trusted environment where colleagues can challenge barriers, share learning and influence change across organisational boundaries. The Group exists to establish inclusive practices, raise awareness and promote equity through transformative action across London pharmacy services.
A defining feature of the Group has been its commitment to translating EDI aspirations into tangible outcomes. Recognising that workforce inequalities often persist because practical solutions are lacking, the Group established a series of task-and-finish groups focused on priority areas identified by members and informed by lived experience. These initiatives are designed to create a more inclusive, flexible and supportive working environment across clinical, operational and support roles. Areas of work have included inclusive recruitment practices, cultural competence, workplace adjustments, equitable career progression, inclusive leadership and raising awareness of barriers faced by under-represented groups. The Group has also provided a mechanism for sharing and scaling good practice across organisations, ensuring successful local initiatives can benefit the wider pharmacy workforce.
One of the Group’s most significant achievements has been the development of the Inclusive Language Guide: Promoting Respectful and Inclusive Communication. The Group identified a critical gap: many managers and colleagues wanted to be supportive but lacked practical guidance on inclusive communication and understanding lived experience. To address this, members collaborated across sectors to co-produce a practical resource designed specifically for pharmacy professionals. The guide was shaped by those with lived experience and places the voices of colleagues from ethnic minority backgrounds, LGBTQIA+ communities and neurodivergent groups at its centre. Rather than focusing on compliance, the guide promotes understanding, cultural competence and respectful communication in everyday professional practice. It provides practical examples of language to avoid, alternative approaches, and real-world scenarios relevant to management, recruitment and day-to-day interactions.
The Inclusive Language Guide has been promoted across London pharmacy networks, shared with Chief Pharmacists and showcased at professional conferences. Feedback has consistently highlighted its practical nature and its ability to bridge the gap between high-level EDI ambitions and day-to-day workplace behaviours. Members have also delivered cultural competence and health inequalities workshops, hosted a Community Pharmacy EDI Symposium, contributed to work on inclusive recruitment and career progression, and created resources to support equitable workplace practices. These initiatives have helped increase confidence among leaders and staff to have inclusive conversations and challenge barriers within their organisations.
Beyond individual projects, the Group is helping reshape the culture of pharmacy across London. By bringing together colleagues from different sectors and backgrounds, it has created a unique forum where lived experience informs action and good practice is shared at scale. Through initiatives focused on inclusive recruitment, inclusive leadership, workplace adjustments, cultural competence and equitable career progression, the Group is addressing barriers that contribute to disengagement, poor wellbeing and workforce attrition. Its work supports colleagues not only to join the profession, but to remain, progress and thrive within it.
The result is a more compassionate, psychologically safe and inclusive workforce where people feel valued, supported and empowered to contribute fully. Through collaboration, co-production and a relentless focus on practical action, the Pan-London Pharmacy EDI Champions Group is demonstrating how systems leadership can translate equity from aspiration into reality and is helping position London pharmacy as a national exemplar of inclusive workforce culture.
Pharmacy Pan-London EDI Champions group | London, UK
