Job planning guidance to support pharmacists working in adult and paediatric rheumatology services has been published by the British Society for Rheumatology (BSR) with the aim of creating clearer, more sustainable roles within multidisciplinary teams (MDTs).
The number of specialist pharmacist roles embedded in rheumatology MDTs has increased over the past decade, and they play a key role in the management of complex, high-cost medicines and patient care within specialist services.
Yet the BSR has noted that responsibilities, workload and post structures can vary widely between organisations.
Survey data collected by the BSR highlighted several challenges faced by the workforce. Only half of rheumatology pharmacists (50%) reported having a formal job plan in place, and almost one quarter (24%) said their plan was never reviewed.
‘That means many highly skilled professionals are working without clarity, structure or protected time for development,’ the BSR said.
In addition, more than half (55%) of the survey respondents reported lacking sufficient time to reach their full professional potential, 61% felt workplace pressure was affecting their wellbeing, and 48% had considered leaving their job in the past year due to that pressure.
A practical framework for structured job plans
The BSR’s new guidance provides a practical framework to help pharmacists, specialty leads and line managers develop structured job plans. These are intended to ensure pharmacists can balance service delivery with professional development and other responsibilities associated with advanced pharmacy practice.
All pharmacists working in rheumatology, regardless of the time dedicated to the specialty, should have a formal job plan that is reviewed annually, according to the guidance.
Among the other recommendations is a dedicated monthly session for clinical supervision or multidisciplinary reflection. The BSR states that this protected time is intended to support reflective practice, professional growth and staff wellbeing.
The guidance has been developed alongside the Royal Pharmaceutical Society Core Advanced Pharmacist and Consultant Pharmacist Curricula to support career progression while ensuring pharmacists’ contributions to rheumatology services are recognised and appropriately resourced.
Progress skills and learning in rheumatology
Overall, the BSR said the framework is designed to facilitate more productive discussions about workload, expectations and development between pharmacists and their employers. By clarifying roles and allocating time appropriately, the BSR’s aim is for the guidance to help create balanced and sustainable positions within rheumatology MDTs.
BSR president Jo Ledingham said: ‘Pharmacists carrying out this important work, even as part of a hybrid job with other specialties, all require time to develop and progress their skills and learning in rheumatology as both clinical pharmacists and as healthcare leaders.
‘They should be afforded the same opportunities for reflection, appraisal, collaboration and improvement activities as other health professionals in the MDT. Our hope is to facilitate this through encouraging the supportive job planning process recommended in this BSR guidance.’
