Introduction

Always busy, struggling to keep up? It doesn’t seem to matter whether you are in healthcare, industry or privately employed, everyone seems to be struggling with the volume of work. In a world where resources are limited, it makes sense to optimise your capability to cope with the increasing demands of the workplace. 

It takes some time and effort to work through the process, but the dividends in a less stressed you and a more efficient team will far outweigh any initial input. 

Once you have grasped the principles, you can flex the amount you do and the time frame you apply to suit your personal business requirements. You don’t have to do it all at once.

A good incentive to encourage you to think about some changes has just been published, with the Government launching its Delivery Plan for Recovering Access to Primary Care. This plan includes a commitment to initiate a funded pharmacy common ailments scheme, ‘Pharmacy First’, which should be in place by the end of 2023. Now is the perfect time to reconsider your working practices to allow you to accommodate this new service.

Matching tasks to skills 

You may think this is obvious, and sometimes it will be, but if you have team members who have been with you for a while, their skills may have changed, often for the better – but not always. 

It’s a good idea to set a date in the diary – every six months, perhaps – to ask yourself the questions again. Behaviours can change, often imperceptibly. So it’s important to step back and take stock.  

There are very few work environments that are so perfectly organised they can’t be improved. The changes don’t need to be massive. Small, incremental changes make a difference over time. 

Efficient and effective work management: key elements

• Daily/weekly/monthly task assessment
• Competency/skills assessment > accurate current skills level
• Additional training required/planned
• Optimise skill mix/train in new skills/buy in new skills.