Day 10: PCN Game: Pharmacists Assemble!

Been tasked with workforce planning, might seem simple to some. i.e. you want pharmacists, you find pharmacists, ta-dah! Done.

The truth of matter is its more complex than that. There are still people that have no idea

1. Pharmacists work in General Practice

2. Pharmacists can prescribe

3. Pharmacist can see patients face-to-face

4. Pharmacists may have clinical assessment skills

5. Pharmacists have career ambitions too

Only yesterday in a PCN meeting I was answering this level of questioning. I really don't mind but I've been working in area so rich in GP Pharmacists that for a moment I forgot where I was and felt I was teleported back to a time 5 years. It highlights you don't know what you don't know.

However not sure if the mindset are open to new ideas or I did a good job of explaining the PCN Additional Workforce Scheme but two PCNs including my own were keen to take the opportunity to expand the workforce. In the Black Country and West Birmingham STP work as already began in Sept 2018 to explore GP retention. The initial project has flourished and ambitions are to bring in allied healthcare professional into the workforce network.

On Twitter you may find #First5 #PCWorkforce - incredible work and effort to renew energy to recruit and retain GPs. I'm in total agreement that whist there's an absolute need for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in General Practice, GPs are very much needed too and pharmacists are not GP substitutes. No way. Through the STP Primary Care Workforce Network I have made new friends and new connections, we share similar experiences and similar anxieties of working in General Practice. We are one team. We are stronger together.

I stumbled over this document from Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. I have really found it useful to share with my PCN team to understand the complexity of workforce planning and where to start with thinking of things to consider. Where problems are complex I start with the simple things, what have I got and then go straight to what is the ultimate dream. Then I work backward, then I have a basic plan.

As PCN looks at pharmacy workforce plans you need to look at potential hidden gems in Primary Care. Though you may not want to employ them directly under PCN but I'm sure you will find them invaluable workforce assets to have in your Network. You may want to look at collaborative ways of working to serve your communities.

So did you know just in the Primary Care setting alone you may have pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in:

1. GP based - already employed by the surgery or through a third party organisation

2. CCG teams - usually medicine optimisation teams

3. Care Home - this could be even under the NHSE MOCH scheme which is currently funded. MOCH due to cease at the end of March 2020.

3. Community pharmacy - some may also be independent prescribers and may have specialist skills e.g. anticoagulation

4. Intermediate Care setting - sometimes referred to as step down units, rehab centres

5. Hospices - some palliative care specialist pharmacist maybe working here

6. GP Federation - if still operating, may have pharmacists and pharmacy technicians

7. Prescription Ordering Direct (POD) teams

8. Any third party deploying pharmacists into surgeries

There could be others but these are just a few I can think of. As I have said before the allocation of available PCN pharmacists is minimal and you need to be mindful of payment structures for year 2 to ensure workforce is financially viable. I would look at local improvement schemes from the CCG, voids in QOF and things like NHS Healthcheck and vaccinations uptake to see if these are potential funded workstreams that a pharmacist could do to balance out costs. Sometimes though it may not be lucrative to have a pharmacist, but I would like to think pharmacists can release capacity in workload else where and for clinical teams to strive for a better work/life balance.

To all the pharmacists out there in Primary Care in any sector, under any organisation. Your PCN needs you. Let them know you exist. Pharmacists' Assemble.