The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 278 No 7437 p148
3 February 2007

Society summary

Survey of support groups in pharmacy

This article, produced within the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's policy development division, is a summary report of the first stage of an initiative to carry out a comprehensive review of the existing support groups within pharmacy and to give a lead on the supporting structures required across the profession for the future

SUMMARY

Key benefits of support groups identified by respondents • Sharing and learning from peers • Cross sector networking • Combating feelings of isolation and helping pharmacists to share the workload

Further information If you represent a group, network or organisation and would be interested in adding your details to the list maintained by the Society to receive information on consultations being conducted, or if you are able to put forward experts to become members of working groups, please contact Joanna Edwards, Policy Analyst, Royal Pharmaceutical Society, 1 Lambeth High Street, London SE1 7JN tel 020 7572 2547 e-mail joanna.edwards@rpsgb.org

Pharmacists have a keen interest in support groups and demonstrate a high level of involvement with groups that support professional goals. The study conducted by the Society identified a total of 188 support groups across Great Britain. These included a number of the Society’s own groups but the study also identified groups from all professional sectors, networks for specialised areas of pharmacy practice and organisations that provide competency-based support.

Using a widely circulated survey and a series of semi-structured interviews the project mapped the professional networks in place at the end of 2005. A total of 100 detailed survey responses were received which identified national and regional groups, and also captured a large number of local groups. Approximately half of the support groups were operating in local areas.

The highest numbers of respondents were from two Government Office Regions — South East England (excluding London) and North West England — although this was to some extent an artefact of the way the survey was distributed. An attempt was made to examine not only the breadth of organisations, but to drill down in some localities.

Although the data cannot claim to present a complete picture, they give an idea of how individual pharmacists and pharmacy are currently supported.

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