The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 278 No 7450 p528-531
5 May 2007

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Development of a leadership course tailored for pharmacists in Scotland

Fiona McMillan and colleagues provide an update on the development of the NHS Education for Scotland pharmacy leadership course

Fiona McMillan is pharmacy educational project manager, Ailsa Power, Anne Watson and Arlene Brailey are assistant directors of pharmacy,and Rose Marie Parr is director of pharmacy at NHS Education for Scotland. Richard Ellis is trainer and consultant in communications and management at the Richard Ellis Consultancy and Alex Mullen is senior lecturer in the Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences. Correspondence to: Ailsa Power, Assistant Director of Pharmacy, NHS Education for Scotland, 2 Central Quay, 89 Hydepark Street, Glasgow G3 8BW e-mail ailsa.power@nes.scot.nhs.uk

SUMMARY

One of the future aims of the NHS in Britain is to increase the role of pharmacists in improving patient health care. Scotland’s health White Paper, “Partnership for care” (February 2003), concentrated on the promotion of health and the creation of a modernised, patient-focused health service that is fit for the 21st century.

Within “Partnership for care” the key themes drive the vision of improved, patient-centred health care services. These themes include improving health, listening to patients, higher standards of health care, partnership, integration and design, and empowering and equipping staff with skills.

Responsibility and resources in the NHS are being delegated and delivered to local areas; pharmacists now have a unique opportunity to move the profession forward. By training pharmacy leaders to think and act strategically, to position themselves and their colleagues, pharmacists will be able to maximise opportunities at this time of change.

The significant change in the professional role of pharmacists as health care providers, coupled with changing demographics of workforce, has resulted in a deficiency of leaders within the pharmacy profession. Pharmacists’ changing expectations present another leadership challenge; new pharmacists expect direct patient involvement, flexible schedules and part-time or shared positions.

Recent qualitative research, led by the NHS Leadership Centre, highlighted leadership development needs that are applicable to pharmacists. This leadership qualities summary highlights the need for the development of personal qualities, service excellence and a future focus. A similar concern relating to future leadership skill shortages has also been expressed in America and Canada.

With change on the agenda, it was decided by senior pharmacy managers to try and bridge the skills gap by developing a course targeted at those with responsibility within the newly developed community health partnerships in Scotland. Leadership, as defined by House, is “the ability of an individual to influence, motivate and enable others to contribute towards the effectiveness and success of the organisations of which they are members”.

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