PHARMACISTS working for US retail giant, Walgreens, will be encouraged to operate at the top of their scope of practice under its new performance review model.
In a statement released this week the company's Global Chief Human Resources Officer, Holly May, said it was eliminating "all task-based metrics" for assessing pharmacists, including targets for processing prescriptions.
"We're proud to take a strong position in the industry with this measure, one we are taking due to feedback from our pharmacy team members and also as part of our commitment to pharmacy quality and patient care," she said.
"We've continued to make investments to elevate the role of our pharmacists and to foster an environment that enables them to best care for our patients and customers.
"Coupled with other infrastructure enhancements and technology investments, this allows our pharmacy team members to do the work they love and engage with our patients and communities in the way they were trained."
The company said that the change in its approach to talent management comes as it lays the groundwork for new areas of pharmacist care, such as testing and treating routine illnesses.
"Moving forward, pharmacy teams will be evaluated based solely on the behaviours that best support patient care and enhance the patient experience, in line with the company's core values," Walgreens said.
"This is the latest action Walgreens is taking to care for its team members, building on numerous investments the company has made to address pharmacy staffing as well as to retain and reward pharmacy staff.
"As the most accessible healthcare providers in thousands of communities, Walgreens pharmacists are uniquely positioned to help improve patient outcomes and fill critical gaps within the US healthcare system."
The business noted that since Aug 2021 it has made incremental investments of US$190 million to boost the wages of its pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, with further investments of US$265 million for pharmacy staff planned for fiscal year 2023.
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