Journal of Pharmacy Management - Jan 2022

Journal of Pharmacy Management • Volume 38 • Issue 1 • January 2022 sessions. This enabled participants to discuss and resolve issues promptly. We hoped that an added benefit of these networks would be to support staff health and wellbeing during an intense and uncertain time. 4) Adapt and respond This was the most important element but one which is often is downplayed. From the outset of the COVID- 19 pandemic, we were very clear with our team that while we did not know what was on the horizon and in what capacity our services may be required, we did know that, as an NHS organisation with vast skill among our workforce, we would be important to the national response and would need to respond accordingly. As part of being able to adapt and respond, it is important to understand the skill mix within the existing workforce so you can signpost and seek support as appropriate. It is also important that staff always work within their scope of competency and undertake the necessary training that may be required to deliver new roles. By doing this, we were equally able to offer ourselves as a further resource to be utilised by practices and the wider NHS to ensure the delivery of patient care as required. As part of adapting and responding it is also important to consider the needs of the individual practice, which can vary widely. MO teams may want to identify a key individual, or establish a rota system, to respond to queries as this may help to improve workforce efficiency while ensuring that a timely reply is received. 5) Simple and succinct communication We recognised that practice staff did not want to be inundated with reams of information that they needed to interpret and digest. We ensured simple summaries, with key information that flowed in a logical order highlighting pertinent points and, if necessary, adding in links to relevant documents so that the information can be sourced easily. As part of our approach to keep communication simple, we wrote out to all practices reminding them that our single point of access for prescribing queries was the best route to send questions. This was an email inbox that we monitored during normal working hours which allowed us to easily assign questions or requests for support to the team, while minimising the risk of lost emails/ questions due to staff sickness or redeployment. Summary The challenges faced during this pandemic have been unique and unprecedented, but we must use this as an opportunity to break down historic barriers to communication, learn from the lessons that we have faced and nurture both new and existing relationships within a new world. By capturing our approach to engagement throughout this period we hope to share some of the tools and techniques that can be used to overcome communication challenges and ultimately support safe and effective prescribing within general practice. Declaration of interests The authors have no interests to declare. 28