Lloydspharmacy’s Sutherland on tackling an uneven pharmacy talent market
11 July 2012
Barbara Sutherland, head of capability at pharmacy group Lloydspharmacy, says that the company has two major ways of tackling a pharmacy talent market, with some talent shortages among broader surfeits.
Wed, 11 Jul 2012
Barbara Sutherland, head of capability at pharmacy group Lloydspharmacy, says that the company has two major ways of tackling a pharmacy talent market, with some talent shortages among broader surfeits.
She tells Recruiter that while there was certainly a broad-based national pharmacy skills shortage five years ago, the balance has been redressed, although in certain areas, in particular the South-West, there are still shortfalls.However, one area where there is a plethora of talent is Northern Ireland, where a small population is served by two pharmacy schools – Queen’s University Belfast and The University of Ulster, launched in 2008.
To redress these imbalances, Sutherland has relocated groups of three or four pharmacists on fixed-term contracts from Northern Ireland to elsewhere, giving them the security of a date they could return home and the support network of being alongside people they already know.
Elsewhere, the company has been paying for people to head down to the South-West for the day or the weekend to see how they find the area ahead of considering a job offer.
Sutherland was speaking to Recruiter for the July edition of the magazine. See the Sector Focus on Healthcare on p14 for more.
Barbara Sutherland, head of capability at pharmacy group Lloydspharmacy, says that the company has two major ways of tackling a pharmacy talent market, with some talent shortages among broader surfeits.
She tells Recruiter that while there was certainly a broad-based national pharmacy skills shortage five years ago, the balance has been redressed, although in certain areas, in particular the South-West, there are still shortfalls.However, one area where there is a plethora of talent is Northern Ireland, where a small population is served by two pharmacy schools – Queen’s University Belfast and The University of Ulster, launched in 2008.
To redress these imbalances, Sutherland has relocated groups of three or four pharmacists on fixed-term contracts from Northern Ireland to elsewhere, giving them the security of a date they could return home and the support network of being alongside people they already know.
Elsewhere, the company has been paying for people to head down to the South-West for the day or the weekend to see how they find the area ahead of considering a job offer.
Sutherland was speaking to Recruiter for the July edition of the magazine. See the Sector Focus on Healthcare on p14 for more.
