Publications by authors named "I McDermott"
Employment and deployment of additional roles: What works for whom, how and why?
Br J Gen Pract
November 2024
Background Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) was introduced in England in 2019 to alleviate workforce pressures in general practice by funding additional staff such as clinical pharmacists, paramedics, first contact physiotherapists and from 2024/25, the scheme will fund recently qualified GPs. However, the employment and deployment models of ARRS staff present ongoing complexities and challenges that require further exploration. Aim This study explores the decision-making processes behind Primary Care Networks (PCNs) and general practice staffing choices, and how these choices influence the operationalisation of ARRS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Pharmacy technicians play a crucial role in the healthcare system to enable pharmacists to focus on clinical services. However, a lack of recognition for their role and contribution leads to high turnover rates.
Objective: To identify the reasons behind pharmacy technicians leaving, or intending to leave, pharmacy practice.
Background: The intention to more effectively mobilise and integrate the capabilities of the community pharmacy workforce within primary care is clearly stated within National Health Service (NHS) England policy. The Pharmacy Integration Fund (PhIF) was established in 2016 to support the development of clinical pharmacy practice in a range of primary care settings, including community pharmacy.
Objective: This study sought to determine how PhIF funded learning pathways for post-registration pharmacists and accuracy checking pharmacy technicians enabled community pharmacy workforce transformation, in what circumstances, and why.
Article Synopsis
- Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is common in asthma patients, and the duration of asthma may increase the risk of developing OSA, indicating a possible link between the two conditions.
- Researchers studied the breathing responses to low oxygen levels in rats with asthma (sensitized with ovalbumin) and compared them to control rats (saline), finding that those with asthma had heightened responses due to increased breathing frequency.
- The study concluded that asthma-related inflammation, rather than mechanical issues in the lungs, may enhance breathing control mechanisms, potentially contributing to the ventilatory instability that could lead to sleep apnea in humans.
Background: This paper presents insights into patient experiences of changes in workforce composition due to increasing deployment in general practice of practitioners from a number of different professional disciplines (skill mix). We explore these experiences via the concept of 'patient illness work'; how a patient's capacity for action is linked to the work arising from healthcare.
Methods: We conducted four focus group interviews with Patient Participation Group members across participating English general practitioner practices.