Pharmacy teams in all settings, but particularly those in primary care, need guidance on making the best use of skill mix, the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) has said.

It called for tools such as a competency development framework to support the development of ‘a range of progressive roles for pharmacists’, including within preventive healthcare and prescribing.

The recommendations are part of the FIP Brisbane Calls to Action, which calls on the 156 FIP national member organisations, individual members and global pharmacy agencies to accelerate pharmaceutical workforce transformation.

The document sets out 10 suggested actions that were developed during a workforce symposium hosted by the FIP Global Pharmaceutical Observatory (GPO) and the FIP Hub in Brisbane, Australia, in September.

It focuses on the need to develop guidance and share best practice to help pharmacists and pharmacy support personnel to ‘perform at a full scope of practice’ and ‘better address the healthcare challenges we face’.

In particular, it highlighted the need for competence in digital health and using digital tools and said that better data collection and access was needed to enable global workforce planning.

Equity, diversity and inclusiveness within the pharmaceutical workforce should also be encouraged, stressed FIP.

In addition, the document highlighted the need for programmes that will support the return and retention of pharmacy team members following career breaks.

‘Frameworks to support sustainable positive practice environments that are conducive to the health, wellbeing, and resilience of the pharmaceutical workforce’ must also be developed, FIP suggested.

The 10 actions come as FIP has also published recommendations into supporting the mental health and wellbeing of community pharmacy teams.

The recommendations were developed with the consensus of more than 120 delegates from over 40 countries at the Brisbane symposium, called ‘Accelerating towards 2030: Workforce transformation for better health’.

According to FIP, the symposium delegates also ‘expressed enthusiasm’ for a revised mission plan for the global pharmacy workforce.

Dr Catherine Duggan, FIP chief executive, said the symposium marked ‘a significant opportunity’ to review pharmacy workforce transformation objectives.

She added: ‘As we move forward, FIP is working on a range of follow-up resources, including a comprehensive strategy and roadmap and accompanying guides and tools to further empower our efforts to transform the pharmacy workforce and advance global health.’