Cultivating a sustainable approach to practitioner wellbeing.

Abstract

Introduction: The workplace experience is a critical aspect of developing an engaged workforce. In response, the Pharmacy Workforce Wellbeing Initiative (PWWI) implemented a sustainable workforce wellbeing strategy that consists of: 1. Asking "What Matters to You?" 2. Reflective Practice Programme 3. Wellbeing Champions Methods: What Matters to You (WMTY) conversations come from the IHI framework for Improving Joy in Work. The IHI framework provides a source of timely, candid feedback, specific to the Pharmacy Programme. Improvement science principles are used to address challenges identified. Reflective practice is an opportunity to develop self-awareness. The programme is run in collaboration with the psychology team and based on the professional supervision model used in psychology. Participants are paired with a supervisor who is not a peer or line manager and meet to reflect on the experience of working in healthcare. The PWWI team convene the Wellbeing Committee, with membership from across the Pharmacy Programme tasked with local implementation of initiatives. Result(s): The first WMTY conversations were conducted in 2022 with 73% of staff participating. In 2024, 40% of the Pharmacy team participated. WMTY conversations have identified many suggestions for improvements ranging from immediate to more complex. "What Matters to You?" has become part of the lexicon of the Pharmacy Department. Results from the pilot Reflective Practice programme (n = 12) are promising. 90% of participants rated the programme as "somewhat" or "extremely" useful. Measures of wellbeing have improved and scores of relationship quality were high. Conclusion(s): Pharmacy practice continues to respond to the demands of contemporary healthcare. This requires a focus on creating an environment people are drawn to work within. The PWWI addresses wellbeing sustainably.