According to the latest NHS data, the number of pharmacies in England providing MURs rose to 83 percent between 2008 and 2009. Whilst an improvement over previous years, these figures do not tell the whole story, as the number of pharmacists meeting the government’s target of 400 MURs a year remains suboptimal. With £11,200 of funding available and with clear benefits for patients I believe meeting this quota should be a priority for all pharmacists. 
 
I am very familiar with the challenges faced by community pharmacists today and understand that managing increasing prescription volumes and services significantly tests both team and time management capabilities.  Through my work both as a community pharmacist and my role as a Pharmacy Services Manager for PLUS from GSK I have learnt many easy techniques which support the delivery of efficient yet effective MUR services.

1. Invest time in your team
Most of the pharmacists I speak to say they are working longer hours than ever before, but few are using their team to its full potential. As pharmacists, we are usually surrounded by a willing and able team who are eager to do and learn more.  Just recently I was working in a community pharmacy and learned my dispenser was unable to separate and count the prescriptions at the end of the day. Whilst I knew it would be quicker for me to complete the task, I decided to coach her on the practice.  This investment in time has since saved me at least 15 minutes per day.

2. Make sure you focus on the jobs that only you can do (and delegate all other tasks accordingly)
Think about your day; what jobs can only you legally and professionally complete? With MURs many pharmacists think they have to undertake the whole process. In fact, with some guidance, I have found that my counter assistants are more than capable of recruiting patients and my dispensing staff can populate the majority of the MUR form. I then simply double check the form is correct and focus my time on the aspects of the MUR only I can complete (i.e. discussions around adherence, advice and recommendations). 

3. Take the time to ensure your team are bought in to the benefits of services both for patients and the pharmacy
Do we really explain to our pharmacy team how services benefit both the bottom line and patients? I have met many counter-assistants who have expressed comments such as "we don't know what the pharmacist does in the consultation room, he could be sitting down having a cup of tea." These members of the team are the face of the pharmacy and ensuring they are knowledgeable will boost recruitment to services.

4. Start with something simple
Make sure you start with a simple service and use it to boost your team’s confidence and commitment. Training your team to identify patients receiving tablet based medicines that are eligible for MURs can be challenging but asking them to tell all patients collecting an inhaler that the pharmacist wishes to speak with them about their medicines is easy.

Finally, make sure you work smarter, not harder. There are only so many hours in the day but by investing in and utilising your team effectively, you will start to free up your time and take great strides towards service success.

Kavita Gupta, Pharmacy Services Manager for PLUS from GSK and Locum Pharmacist