Status of the pharmacy profession

The changing healthcare landscape, societal perceptions and the widespread implementation of automated dispensing technology necessitates increased emphasis on improving the status of the pharmacist profession. To ensure the effectiveness of medicines, patients need to believe in their medicines and their local health team. The value added services delivered by the pharmacist must be measured, understood and valued, and pharmacy bodies must work to identify and raise awareness of the profession Pharmacists need to promote their role as the best placed medicines experts to address the complexities emerging, e.g. long-term conditions. The shift from a dispensing role to more clinically based tasks must also be acknowledged by the NHS and in society in order for such services to be delivered sustainably in both private and public spheres.

Proposed workforce impact

• Pharmacists play a central role in multidisciplinary teams across the healthcare sector.
• Pharmacist-run clinics emerge.

Sources or references

• http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6904/11/19
• http://www.pharmacytimes.com/publications/career/2008/Careers_2008-08/Careers_2008-08_8001

Additional research questions

• What are the current public expectations?

Some of the information in this section is provided by stakeholders and expert groups, and does not necessarily represent the views of the CfWI.