Dynamic leadership and a flexible approach to role delegation are key to optimising the skill mix in community pharmacy and reducing workload pressure on pharmacists, according to a new report from Pharmacy Research UK (PRUK).

The research, which was conducted by Professor Alison Bullock at the University of Cardiff, aimed to identify barriers and enablers to effective delegation within the pharmacy and make recommendations for optimising the skill mix.

The study concluded that strong leadership was necessary to ensure that staff feel valued and take pride in their work so that they are able to expand their roles and take on greater responsibilities. It also advised pharmacists to take a systematic but flexible approach to managing workload where different staff roles could be covered by more than one staff member.

Another recommendation was to use people in the right role for the task at hand, with consideration given to all members of the team and not just those with the most qualifications.

The researchers called for more research into different models of role delegation, including an investigation into the use of learning sets or a 'communities of practice' model.

The full report can be read here.