The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 270 No 7231 p40
11 January 2003

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UNISON (www.unison.org.uk)

Staff shortages hold back skill mix developments, says UNISON

Shortages of hospital pharmacy staff are holding back the developments outlined in the Department of Health's skill mix consultation paper, according to UNISON, which represents the majority of National Health Service pharmacy technicians and assistants.

In its response to the Department's report, published at the end of last year, UNISON says that although it endorses the broad thrust of the Government's aims in the NHS and pharmacy plans, and the skill mix, paper its concerns "have primarily been on shortcomings in delivering the plan, particularly the inability so far to ensure that there are sufficient numbers of well-managed, well-motivated staff with the right skills in the right place at the right time".

UNISON says that it wants to see skill mix decisions being driven by appropriate risk assessments with delegation of work to the right members of staff. It is opposed to grade mix decisions driven simply for cost reductions.

"To be successful, the new extended roles must be supported by appropriate training to support staff competence, prior to the adoption of new roles," the union says.

Looking at specific parts of the skill mix paper, the union says that "protocol medicines supply schemes", which would allow suitably qualified pharmacy technicians to hand over dispensed medicines without supervision from a pharmacist, would need careful piloting and adequate resources before they are introduced. It notes that decisions relating to skill mix will need to be made alongside the "Agenda for change" pay discussions.