Job planning guidance published for rheumatology pharmacists

The British Society for Rheumatology (BSR), in collaboration with pharmacists in adult and paediatric rheumatology, has developed new job-planning guidance to support pharmacists in the specialty. The guidance aims to better define advanced and consultant pharmacist roles and promote consistent job planning across multidisciplinary teams.

The roles of pharmacists specialising in adult and paediatric rheumatology are multifaceted, valuable to MDTs, and a highly rewarding career choice. Over the last decade there has been an increase in dedicated specialist pharmacist roles embedded within rheumatology MDTs, but there remains considerable variation in the work undertaken by rheumatology pharmacists.

The report also showed that over half (55%) reported insufficient time to reach their professional potential, while 61% said workplace pressures affected their well-being. Almost half (48%) had considered leaving their role in the past year. Despite these pressures, commitment to the specialty remained strong, with 94% reporting that they felt valued in their role.

The BSR Job planning guidance for adult and paediatric rheumatology pharmacists, led by Emily Rose-Parfitt, Consultant Pharmacist in Rheumatology at North Bristol NHS Trust, explains how structured job planning can help define, support and sustain the role of pharmacists working in adult and paediatric rheumatology multidisciplinary teams (MDTs). It highlights that although specialist pharmacists play an increasingly important role in medicines optimisation, patient education and service improvement, their responsibilities and workload often vary widely between organisations.

The guidance recommends that all rheumatology pharmacists have a formal, regularly reviewed job plan agreed with their line manager and specialty lead. This plan should clearly allocate time across the recognised domains of advanced pharmacy practice—such as clinical care, leadership and management, education, and research—so that service delivery is balanced with professional development. It also emphasises the importance of protected time, including regular sessions for clinical supervision or multidisciplinary reflection, to support learning, well-being and continuous improvement in patient care.

Aligned with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society Core Advanced and Consultant Pharmacist Curricula, the document provides a practical framework for planning and reviewing pharmacist roles within rheumatology services. By aligning job plans with national pharmacy curricula and clearly defining workload, it aims to help organisations use pharmacists’ expertise more effectively, improve workforce sustainability, and ensure pharmacists can contribute fully to high-quality, patient-centred rheumatology care.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the UKCPA or its members. We encourage readers to follow links and references to primary research papers and guidance.

Competing interest statement:

The author declares: no support from any organisation for the submitted work; no financial relationships with any organisations that might have an interest in the submitted work in the previous three years; no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.