Management Conundrums
A number of changes have come about since our fictitious scenario was first described in April 2003.
Ms Morphine has died in a tragic road accident and her role as Chief Pharmacist has been taken over by the more dynamic and much younger Janet Donnit. The ambitious career manager, Mr Greysuit, has also moved up the ladder from his director post and become the Chief Executive in the PCO. He’s a man to watch – he still regards professionals with some suspicion!
Ms Morphine has died in a tragic road accident and her role as Chief Pharmacist has been taken over by the more dynamic and much younger Janet Donnit. The ambitious career manager, Mr Greysuit, has also moved up the ladder from his director post and become the Chief Executive in the PCO. He’s a man to watch – he still regards professionals with some suspicion!
Some new characters have also appeared. Meet Clive Black, the high profile, media mad hospital Chief Executive. Will he be a match for Mr Greysuit and thwart his plans to downsize the Trust and do more work in primary care? Other additions in the Metropolis NHS Trust are Mohammed Mixture, the oncology pharmacist who is a supplementary prescriber, and Colette Capsule the Senior Pharmacy Technician. In the PCO, meet Peter Pill, the keen young Community Pharmacist who wants to develop his clinical skills.
Riverdale Primary Care Organisation
Riverdale Primary Care Organisation (PCO) is set somewhere in the UK. Half its population live in a rural environment and half in an urban setting. Both rural and urban populations have a degree of deprivation covering about half of the total area. In the deprived areas there is a relatively high proportion of low-income families and a high level of teenage pregnancy and drug misuse.
The PCO serves a population of 100,000 people and covers an area of 5 square miles. It has managerial responsibility for 4 health centres. A total of 25 Community Pharmacies and 30 GP practices (consisting of 72 GPs) operate within the PCO. The PCO has a health promotion unit and the Metropolis NHS Trust sits within the geographical area covered.
With the introduction of the new GP contract, a key area of work has been targeted on providing an out of hours service.
Metropolis NHS Trust
Metropolis NHS Trust is a very large organisation that came about as a result of a merger between a university teaching hospital, a district general hospital and a children’s hospital. It also provides some services to the local PCT and Mental Health Trust.
This hospital trust is responsible for managing one large teaching hospital and two smaller hospitals. The main hospital is situated in the highest area of population and has a large Accident and Emergency Department that is very busy at weekends. The Hospital Trust covers all medical specialities and is the regional centre of excellence for Cancer Care.