It is easier to think about what you can’t delegate than what you can. What can only a pharmacist do in the pharmacy? Their presence is required by law in order for the pharmacy to open, providing supervision and fulfilling the responsible pharmacist role. But what tasks can only the pharmacist do?

If we break it down there is probably only three things in broad terms:

• The clinical check of prescriptions

• Some patient consultation; responding to some queries and counselling about some medications

• Some services or elements of some services; only the pharmacist can provide the Pharmacy Contraceptive Service when some element of the Discharge Medicines Service could be undertaken by a pharmacy technician.

Everything else is what you choose to do. It may be that you do it to fill your time with activities, but essentially someone else could do it.

If someone else did these other things, what could you do with the time you create for yourself? If you paid someone to do some of these things, how could you generate more income with the time you have been gifted. 

Consider 60 minutes spent accuracy checking dispensed items and handing them out. How many prescriptions would you check and what income does that represent?

What other costs would there be (i.e. the dispensing staff) and so what gross profit would you make in this hour? If you undertook three contraception services in that hour you would generate £56 income with very little cost. 

It is important to prioritise activities to maximise profit, delegating tasks to the least qualified team member who can competently undertake the task. This is the essence of managing the skill mix.