Understanding public trust in services provided by community pharmacists relative to those provided by general practitioners: a qualitative study

Current UK initiatives, which aim to implement a range of pharmacist-led services, are undermined by lack of public trust. It seems improbable that the public will trust pharmacists to deliver unfamiliar services, which are perceived to be ‘high risk’, unless health systems change in a way that promotes trust in pharmacists. This may be achieved by increasing the quality and quantity of patient interactions with pharmacists and gaining GP support for extended pharmacy services

Increasing community pharmacy workloads in England : causes and consequences

To explore English community pharmacists experiences of workload increases. Setting North West of England. Method Ninety-six women and 71 men replied (response rates = 40 and 31%, respectively). Thirty female pharmacists and 29 male pharmacists were interviewed between February 2005 and February 2008. The study involved semi-structured face-to-face interviews with theoretically sampled respondents. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim and a thematic analysis conducted. Main outcome measures English community pharmacists’ opinions and experiences. This paper specifically considers the following themes, community pharmacists’ accounts of workload, role expansion, skill mix, management support, coping strategies, perceptions of patient safety, and impact on pharmacists health and wellbeing

Examining the factors affecting the independent community pharmacists' career pathways

Paper presented in the practice research sessions of the British Pharmaceutical Conference, Manchester, 7-9 Sep 2008. This paper presents data gathered from a qualitative study in North west England that aimed to explore the factors motivating male community pharmacists' career decisions. It specifically discusses data relating to independent pharmacy ownership. Approximately one-third of respondents (n = 10) owned or had at one time owned a community pharmacy. 6 had recently sold some or all of their community pharmacy businesses, often in response to recent changes in the community pharmacy contract or other legislative changes. Particular concerns were the effect of the new contract on profitability and business viability. Additionally, respondents felt that businesses were likely to decrease in value in the future. Changes in capital gains tax had prompted sales in some cases. Although, in general, respondents were pessimistic about the future for independent contractors, a small minority (n = 3) were still keen to pursue this option. However, they reported that competition for pharmacy businesses meant that they were priced out of the market and had restricted opportunities to pursue independent ownership

Contested space in the pharmacy: Public attitudes topharmacy harm reduction services in the West of Scotland

Background: Internationally, community pharmacies have become increasingly involved in providing harm reduction services and health advice to people who use illicit drugs. Objective: This paper considers public opinion of community pharmacy services. It discusses attitudes to harm reduction services in the context of stigmatization of addiction and people who use drugs. Methods: This exploratory study involved twenty-six purposively sampled members of the public, from the West of Scotland, participating in one of 5 focus groups. The groups were composed to represent known groups of users and non-users of community pharmacy, none of whom were problem drug users. Results: Three thematic categories were identified: methadone service users in community pharmacies; attitudes to harm reduction policies; contested space. Harm reduction service expansion has resulted in a high volume of drug users in and around some Scottish pharmacies. Even if harm reduction services are provided discretely users' behavior can differentiate them from other pharmacy users. Drug users' behavior in this setting is commonly perceived to be unacceptable and can deter other consumers from using pharmacy services. The results of this study infer that negative public opinion is highly suggestive of stereotyping and stigmatization of people who use drugs. Participants considered that (1) community pharmacies were unsuitable environments for harm reduction service provision, as they are used by older people and those with children; (2) current drug policy is perceived as ineffective, as abstinence is seldom achieved and methadone was reported to be re-sold; (3) people who use drugs were avoided where possible in community pharmacies. Conclusions: Community pharmacy harm reduction services increasingly bring together the public and drug users. Study participants were reluctant to share pharmacy facilities with drug users. This paper concludes by suggesting mechanisms to minimize stigmatization.No Full Tex

Can first-year MPharm students be taught to use the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain continuing professional development framework?

This abstract assesses the success of teaching first-year MPharm students to use a personal development planning (PDP) template based on the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB) continuing professional development (CPD) framework

Does community pharmacy offer women family-friendly working conditions and equal opportunities? The accounts of female community pharmacists over the age of 30

Objective The sex mix of the pharmacy workforce has altered significantly over the last 60 years such that in 2005 54% of the practising pharmacy workforce was female. After the age of 30 years, part-time working is common and it is often assumed that pharmacy working attracts and suits women because it is flexible and family friendly. This paper aims to explore to what extent that is true. Setting This study was based in the North West of England. Method Face-to-face interviews (n=30) were conducted with women over the age of 30 years who worked as community pharmacists. The interview schedule was designed to explore: interviewees' motivation for choosing pharmacy; employment history; motivation for choosing a particular pattern of working; views of recent changes in pharmacy; and future career plans. Key findings In line with previous studies this sample of female community pharmacists adopted heterogenous work patterns, and personal and extrinsic structural factors were found to influence work patterns. Importantly, there was evidence of a lack of family-friendly practices, with antisocial hours, difficulties accommodating annual leave, and the restrictive legislative framework that necessitates that a pharmacist is always present in a store, all affecting work patterns. Conclusion Our study, in contrast to other studies, suggests that for about half of the women interviewed, community pharmacy working was difficult to combine with family commitments. This finding has implications for employers and workforce planners because an increasing proportion of the community pharmacy workforce is female