P50?Time and motion study to assess workload versus staffing at in paediatric hospital chemotherapy manufacturing unit

摘要

Objectives In order to improve efficiency of the staff workload in the Paediatric Hospital Chemotherapy Manufacturing Unit, tasks conducted by the pharmacy staff were evaluated with their expected roles. The aims of this study were to establish an understanding of the workload at this unit and to develop a proposal for the unit to become technician-led. Methods The time taken to perform a pre-determined list of tasks by the senior pharmacy technician was recorded, collated, and compared to tasks performed by the pharmacist. This established the key activities that could be delegated from the pharmacist and the senior pharmacy technician to other members of staff. The findings were discussed with a focus group to establish the efficiency of the manufacturing unit and enable a proposal to be formed. Key findings A substantial part of the pharmacist’s and senior pharmacy technician’s time was spent on activities which could be delegated to other members of staff of a lower pay band. The financial implication of this estimated that there would be a reduction of around ￡8,696.70 with the correct utilisation of the staff members. The pharmacists leading this manufacturing unit were spending most of their time on computing and training, therefore reducing the time available for them to focus on patient-facing clinical activities. Conclusions The current skill mix was highlighted as being inefficient, due to a lack of delegation from the pharmacists and senior pharmacy technician. A technician-led manufacturing unit can improve the focus of pharmacists on clinical tasks while reducing the cost of activities.