Can we learn something from GB Cycling at the Olympics?

I bet, like me you’ve watched in awe the GB cycling team at the Beijing Olympics. They are completely dominant in their event in a way that very few countries have achieved in any sport.

It occurred to me that as a profession, pharmacy can learn a thing or two from the GB cycling team. Like pharmacy in the healthcare “team” cycling has never been as high profile as the “sexier” sports of athletics and swimming (For athletics and swimming read medicine and nursing)

In this Olympics, these sexier sports have been put to shame by the laser beam focus of the cycling team. They have based themselves at a centre of excellence in Manchester, constantly pushing each other to bigger and better things to the point where they are way ahead of any other nation in the world.

Athletics and swimming (Becky Addlington apart) have, by comparison, failed to deliver and will have a lot to do to catch up for London 2012.

I think the Olympic analogy holds in healthcare terms. Medicine and nursing are much more high profile than pharmacy but with all the investment in GP surgeries, hospitals and extended roles for nurses, what difference do you see in the day to day care received by patients across the UK?  I would say that things have improved, but to no where near the extent they should have done because the medical and nursing professions have creamed off a huge proportion of the extra money in terms of increased salary and bonuses. Pharmacy on the other hand has had to live off scraps left by the other professions.

In my opinion pharmacists need to develop the laser beam focus seen in the cyclist.  The latest White Paper – “Pharmacy in England-Building on Strengths, Delivering the Future” gives pharmacists in England an opportunity to focus in on delivering a world class service that make a measurable difference to healthcare in England (and we know we are well behind Scotland in this)  In the same way as the cyclists have based themselves in Manchester, I think that pharmacists need to gather around a body that will deliver real differences for both the profession and GB patients and put the sexy professions to shame. This might be the “new” RPSGB focusing exclusively on representing the profession or the PDA Union. I don’t care which one it is and I have no romantic desire for the RPSGB to succeed after all what have I gained this year from my near £400 retention fee.

Come on the cyclists!!

Shaun is a Director of PL-UK Ltd – a respected provider of pharmacy jobs, both permanent and locum.