First survey into community pharmacy workforce development needs

Health Education England (HEE) is inviting over 11,500 community pharmacies to participate in the first ever national survey looking at training and development needs across the community pharmacy sector workforce. 

The Community Pharmacies Workforce Survey is designed to inform the commissioning of clinical education and development for community pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and the wider team.

A significant programme of education and development is currently being progressed by HEE, in collaboration with NHS England and funded by NHS England’s Pharmacy Integration Fund, and this will be informed by the results of the survey.

This includes:

• Access to post-registration clinical pharmacy education and training up to diploma level for community pharmacists
• Workforce development and a prescribing qualification for clinical pharmacists who work in care homes and integrated urgent care hubs/GP out of hours services
• Clinical leadership development for pharmacy technicians.

The Pharmacy Integration Fund supports the development of clinical pharmacy practice by integrating pharmacists and pharmacy technicians into wider primary care settings.

The survey will collect key information around training requirements, recruitment experiences and working patterns of staff employed in each community pharmacy premises. Each community pharmacy across England will have a unique, secure log-in – sent by email to the contractor – to access the questionnaire which closes on 31 September 2017.

HEE, working with NHS England, will use the survey feedback to further develop and inform education and training plans, identify potential shortfalls and potentially map community pharmacy availability against populations which have identified lower healthcare outcomes.

The survey will be issued to around 5,000 independent pharmacy premises. The multiple chains – Asda, Boots, Lloyds, Morrisons, Rowlands, Superdrug, Tesco, and Well – have already completed the survey via the Company Chemists’ Association.

Professor Elizabeth Hughes, Director and Dean of Education and Quality, HEE - London and South East said:

HEE’s work will support the workforce's transition to deliver a wider range of services for patients. We are also working to develop pharmacists and pharmacy technicians able to deliver pharmacy care where required. This survey will enable us to fully understand the scale and skill set of the community pharmacy workforce, and help us to ensure we plan our future investment in education commissioning effectively. I encourage pharmacies to participate and help us shape the future of the pharmacy workforce.

For more information email england.cpws@nhs.net.