Personal Development Plans (PDPs)

In order to utilise your competency framework and make the most of your team’s abilities, it is a good idea to have PDPs in place for everyone. This makes assessments and appraisals much easier and more meaningful. 

PDPs should be drafted in agreement with each team member and should reflect both business and personal aspirations. You can use a similar format to the ones discussed last month. It is a good idea to have staging posts across the year to track progress. 

It is essential that you talk through the process with your team and emphasise that their PDP will have:

• Outcome-based activities that are within their current job remit
• Realistic time lines in place, with checkpoints across the year
• An identified appraisal timetable in the diary.

A good plan should provide every team member with a clear focus and help them work out a way to achieve the stated goals with realistic deadlines and regular progress monitoring. Good PDPs can also help develop skills, increase knowledge and identify relevant support networks. 

Where do you want to get to?

At the beginning of this module, you were asked to consider your current business focus and what could be a future way forward for you. Many of your colleagues in pharmacy will be working towards embracing a more service-oriented business module, which brings undoubted benefits, but also additional challenges. 

The introduction of a new Pharmacy First-type minor ailments service in England – expected to launch by the end of this year – is a good example of this ongoing trend.

You will be in an ideal place to prepare for this change if you have worked through this module with your team. This will allow them to take on additional tasks while you deliver the service. 

To do this, your team needs to understand what they need to do differently and why they need to do it. There are some key things that you need to consider prior to any planned change:

• How are you going to ensure clear communication with your whole team, including part-time members?
• Have you considered everyone that could be affected by the change?
• Have you worked out what impact the change will have – both the desired outcome and any knock-on effects?
• Do you have an idea of what training is available and/or required?