The roles of pharmacists working in primary care groups and community pharmacy were examined at a meeting organised by the University of Birmingham health services management centre on January 13, 2000. The aim of the meeting was to help pharmacists and their PCG, trust and health authority colleagues assess likely future roles and responsibilities within primary care pharmacy
Changes in workforce availability would clearly have implications for the future direction of pharmacy, Professor ALISON BLENKINSOPP (director, department of medicines management, Keele university) told the meeting.
Drawing on her recently published research conducted in the West Midlands (PJ, December 4, 1999, p909, and January 15, 2000, p105), Professor Blenkinsopp said that, while there was no evidence of large numbers of pharmacists leaving the profession, there was a net movement into locum work and away from more permanent managerial roles. This was motivated by a desire to have a greater control over work and freedom to pursue other activities.
Long working hours were leading to low morale, with dissatisfaction found mainly in community pharmacists, especially young ones. Substantial numbers were planning to reduce their working hours in the next three years. In addition, there was a strong desire to increase professional challenge and, linked to this, a strong interest in working with general practitioners and other health professionals.
Pharmacists' plans to reduce their hours would mean a likely reduction in the pool of available pharmacist resource. The effects of this could be reduced by more active offering of jobshare posts in community pharmacy and, because of interest in working with general medical practitioners, by linking community pharmacy posts to work with GP practices. A further suggestion could be local networks of locums working to standards (eg, of premises, job content, locum performance, remuneration) agreed with the local pharmaceutical committee.