Third census to provide updated snapshot of pharmacy workforce
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society is about to repeat its research-based pharmacy workforce census with the aim of informing future workforce planning and policy.
The census is a national survey of the profession. Census forms will
be sent on 22 August to every pharmacist with a registered address in
Britain.
The Society wants to hear from pharmacists who are delivering care for
patients directly, providing technical or advisory services, working
in a management or strategic role, employing pharmaceutical skills in
industry or contributing to pharmacy education. The Society also wants
to hear from those working part time, those working outside pharmacy
and those not working at all. The Society says that it is important to
know whether those not currently working in pharmacy intend to return,
because this is an important aspect of workforce planning.
As well as asking pharmacists about the circumstances of their employment,
the census asks about their level of satisfaction with various aspects
of their current work and about possible changes in their work life over
the next two years.
This workforce census is the third. Studies carried out in 2002 and 2003 generated a huge amount of information that has already been used to
inform workforce planning and policy development in the pharmacy profession.
The Society says that, as a result of this investment, it now has one
of the most comprehensive workforce data sets in health care in Britain.
The earlier surveys indicated possible trends, such as movement between
sectors and an increase in portfolio working. But two surveys a year
apart cannot definitely identify trends, and the third survey should
provide a valuable indication of whether these trends are real.
The Society’s President, Hemant Patel, said: “By undertaking
the first two censuses the Society has constructed a comprehensive picture
of who was working, where and for how many hours in each sector of practice.
“I urge all members in Great Britain to complete and return their
questionnaires. This information is vital to gaining a clear picture
of today’s
pharmacy workforce and to help with planning for the future.”
The Society intends to publish an analysis of the workforce data in The
Journal in 2006. The report will also be available on the Society’s
website (www.rpsgb.org).
Further information about the census is available from the registration
team at the Society’s headquarters (tel 020 7572 2322;
e-mail registration@rpsgb.org).
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Pharmaceutical Journal