185 Years of Support: Celebrating Partnership, Community and Wellbeing

Description In this special episode of A Dose of Wellbeing, we’re marking Stress Awareness Month and celebrating Pharmacist Support’s 185th birthday. Host Melissa Cochrane is joined by Danielle Hunt and Mark Koziol to explore how partnership can make a real difference to wellbeing across the pharmacy profession. They reflect on the long-standing relationship between The PDA and Pharmacist Support, the impact of over £342,000 in donations, and the growing challenges facing pharmacy today. You’ll also hear powerful examples of how this support is helping individuals through difficult times and reminding people they’re not alone. To celebrate this milestone, The PDA is doubling its donation to £2 for every new member who joins between 15 April and 15 May — a simple way to support both organisations and help more people access vital support. If you’re looking for an honest, supportive conversation about wellbeing in pharmacy, this episode is a great place to start. Guest bio Mark Koziol is Chairman of The Pharmacists’ Defence Association (PDA) which he established in 2003 in the wake of the Peppermint Water case. Determined to ensure that no pharmacist should ever have to rely upon the legal support of their employer again in the event of a serious incident, Mark has devoted the majority of his professional career ensuring that employee and locum pharmacists have a voice. The PDA defends pharmacists in any work-related incidents and is also dedicated to helping create safer working environments and more professionally fulfilling roles for pharmacists. Today, The PDA is the largest membership organisation for pharmacists in the UK with over 40,000 members. Mark also serves as Council member of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), Member of the FIP Data and Intelligence Commission, Co-Chair, Pharmacists Without Borders International and architect of the hugely successful ‘Medicines To’ worldwide humanitarian initiative. Podcast sponsorship No sponsor.  Resources and references  Pharmacist Support To find out more about support services, please visit our website: https://pharmacistsupport.org/how-we-can-help/  Wellbeing Learning Platform: https://pharmacistsupport.clcmoodle.org/local/roadmaplogin/login.php  Our work with The PDA: https://pharmacistsupport.org/support-our-work/partner-with-us/pda/  External Stress Awareness Month: https://www.stress.org.uk/stress-awareness-month-2026/  Help us to support more of our pharmacy familyPharmacist Support relies on generous donations to provide our charitable services and support. If you enjoyed our podcast episode today, please consider making a donation so we can continue creating more content to support mental health and wellbeing in pharmacy. Thank you: https://pharmacistsupport.org/support-our-work/donate/Disclaimer The content of this podcast is for information purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Pharmacist Support.