The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 277 No 7409 p85
15 July 2006

Society summary

Local pharmacist leaders get results, pilot programme finds

Developing the leadership skills of pharmacists can have a major impact on progressing local issues, according to the evaluation of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's leadership pilot programme.

The pilot programme, launched in England last year (PJ, 11 June 2005, p715), was set up to help pharmacists within local networks develop their leadership skills and enable them to work across organisational boundaries in new and effective ways.

The main findings in the evaluation were as follows:

· 78 per cent of participants said that the leadership programme helped them to make significant or major progress on a local “live work issue”

· 67 per cent of the respondents said that they had noticed a significant or major development in how they communicated and worked together to get things done

· 44 per cent said that they felt pharmacy was better integrated into the working of the NHS as a result of participating in the programme and a further 50 per cent felt that it now had the potential to be

Programme participant Helen Bianchi, a GP practice pharmacist, said: “We have gained a tremendous amount from the programme both personally and as a group. This has been an unique opportunity to work with other pharmacists in order to solve some of the practical problems at a local level.”

The President of the Society, Hemant Patel, said: “I am keen to ensure that we develop effective leaders from our profession to influence and guide change at national and local levels. At a time of unprecedented change broad leadership skills are essential across the NHS as it changes shape and encourages new ways of working. Community pharmacy too needs leaders at all levels. This will become increasingly important as pharmacy moves towards the future in Pharmacy 20:20. The aim of this programme is to develop and support local pharmacists to become more competent and professional leaders.

“Most of the feedback we received from the pharmacists involved indicates that the programme was extremely effective, with many respondents saying that more people are listening to them and they are getting things done more effectively than ever before.

“Following the success of the programme the Society is now exploring how we can develop local leadership across further networks so that both pharmacists and patients can enjoy a better health service through leaders that are in a better position to lead change, empower others and deliver results.”