Supervision study identifies those activities that pharmacists and technicians agree can be undertaken during pharmacist’s absence
A Pharmacy Research UK funded study exploring supervision in community pharmacy has identified those activities that pharmacists and pharmacy technicians agreed can be undertaken during the pharmacist’s absence.
Amongst community and hospital pharmacy respondents, community pharmacists appeared most cautious, with trust in support staff and confidence in assigning a wider range of activities requiring a stable team. Issues of staff competency, responsibility & accountability need consideration before pharmacists are confident to relinquish control.
The study, undertaken by a team of researchers at the Manchester Pharmacy School, set out to investigate current arrangements for supervision, role delegation and skill mix in community pharmacy and to seek stakeholders’ perceived risk levels associated with different types of pharmacy activities and services, and views on potential changes to supervision requirements.
Key issues for further work are highlighted, such as the need for greater clarity of roles and responsibilities across the pharmacy team and clear, transparent and consistent levels of qualifications for different types of staff.
Dr Ellen Schafheutle, the principal investigator of this study, said:
“This research has sought the views of pharmacists and pharmacy support staff, mainly pharmacy technicians, on which pharmacy activities they think could be delegated. This study should help to establish further clarity on staff roles and activities in community pharmacy. It shows that stable teams provide greater confidence for role delegation and raises the issues of competence, responsibility and accountability of pharmacy support staff. This study will help inform potential changes to supervision requirements and underpin the furtherance of pharmacists’ increasingly clinical roles, be this in or away from the pharmacy. ”
Professor Anthony Smith, Chair of Pharmacy Research UK said
“This research gives us a good sense of where the profession sees the opportunities for greater role delegation, and the areas where there might be greatest resistance due to perceived risk. The study’s focus centred on perceived risk of activities and implications for supervision, and these findings now need to be placed in the wider context of the long-term vision for community pharmacy services, opportunities for pharmacist interventions and patient and public expectation of community pharmacy.”
Notes to editors:
1. Pharmacy Research UK is the principal research charity supporting pharmacists and pharmacy to improve healthcare for the benefit of patients and the public. www.pharmacyresearchuk.org
2. Details of where you can download the exec summary and full report are below:
To download the executive summary, please click here
To download the full report, please click here.
