Helping the General Pharmaceutical Council improve its understanding of pharmacy professionals’ work, training, job satisfaction, professional practice and future plans
Number of responses from GPhC registrants
%
Response rate achieved
Reporting outputs provided to the GPhC
Challenge
The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) is the independent regulator for pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy premises in Great Britain. Its role is to protect, promote and maintain the health, safety and wellbeing of the public by upholding standards and public trust in pharmacy.
In 2013 a major survey was undertaken to improve the GPhC’s understanding of pharmacy professionals’ work, training, professional practice and future work plans. Since 2013 the roles of pharmacy professionals had evolved significantly and there had been many developments in the sector. The GPhC therefore required up-to-date insight into pharmacy professionals’ workplace settings, employment, practice, training and future plans to provide an overall snapshot of current pharmacy practice and to understand differences compared with 2013.
Enventure Research was appointed by the GPhC to undertake a census of all pharmacists and pharmacy technicians registrants and to generate a high response rate to the survey.
Approach
The survey involved a census of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians registered with the GPhC. The 2013 questionnaire was used as a starting point and was updated to reflect current pharmacy practice. Enventure Research reviewed the questionnaire, piloted it with a handful of registrants and provided advice on the design of new questions. The questionnaire was comprehensive to cover many topics such as working status, work-life balance, number of working hours, workplace settings, responsibilities including prescribing, qualifications, job satisfaction, plans for the future, and equality and diversity monitoring.
The survey was undertaken using an online data collection methodology. An initial invitation email was sent to every GPhC registrant, followed by four reminders for those that had not responded to the survey. An open access online survey was also available for registrants to complete if they did not respond to the mailings. This survey was promoted using the GPhC website and social media accounts, media articles, newsletters and using stakeholder networks across England, Scotland and Wales.
Outcome
A high response rate of 23% was generated, providing 18,394 responses from pharmacists and pharmacist technicians. Enventure undertook comprehensive analysis of the survey results and provided the GPhC with a set of reports, which included a topline report, a full analytical report with nation profiles, a report comparing results with 2013 survey, an equality, diversity and inclusion monitoring report, a workforce movement report, and an infographic summary report.
The reports provided the GPhC with important up-to-date insights into areas of pharmacy practice, future work plans and the geographical spread of registered pharmacy professionals across Great Britain. The GPhC used the findings to inform its ongoing work to improve the way pharmacy professionals and services are regulated.
“Surveys of this nature are a vital tool for regulators to gain an up-to-date insight into the professions they regulate and to understand current challenges their registrants face, as well as horizon scan for future challenges. We were pleased to work on such an important piece of work for the GPhC and provide them with valuable reporting tools that provide real insight into their registrants’ working lives.”
Insightful research. Expertly delivered.
