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School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Professor Karen Hassell PhD, MA(Econ), BSc, DipMRS, Cert.

Photograph of Karen Hassell

Professor of Social Pharmacy, and School Research Director

  • Email: karen.hassell@manchester.ac.uk
  • Telephone: +44 (0)161 275 2422
  • Alternative Telephone: +44 (0)161 275 2342 ( Secretary: Paula Rosson)
  • Fax: 0161 275 2416
 

Memberships of Committees and Professional Bodies

  • Expert Advisory Panel, Royal Pharmaeutical Society
  • FMHS Equality and Diversity Committee
  • The British Sociological Association
  • Editorial Board, Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy
  • Editorial Board, Journal Health Services Research and Policy
  • Editorial Board for the International Journal of Pharmacy Practice
  • Academic Pharmacy Group

Research

Karen is currently managing a programme of work encompassing a variety of studies about the pharmacy labour market and the pharmacy workforce.  Against a backdrop of workforce shortages, changing structures around the delivery of health care, NHS policy to improve the quality of working lives of health care practitioners, and developments around skill mix which mean a larger role for the pharmacy support workforce, the programme of work aims to inform professional policy and service development.

Recent studies include: a fourth pharmacy workforce census on behalf of the RPSGB; a mixed-methods study on the work patterns of women working in community pharmacy; a questionnaire survey of overseas pharmacists and their reasons for migration, and a unique five-year study exploring the early career of newly qualified pharmacists.  This national longitudinal study is the first of its kind in pharmacy, providing unique opportunities to explore the nature of modern-day pharmacy careers, helping to inform workforce planning and development. This study forms part of the research programme of the Centre for Pharmacy Workforce Studies, itself part of the ‘Workforce Academy’, a unique academic organisation based at the School of Pharmacy.

Other research interests include: gender, ethnic minorities and social change in pharmacy; health care evaluation of community pharmacy, and access to primary care.

 

Methodological Knowledge

Surveys; focus groups; Delphi and nominal group techniques; interviewing.

 

Teaching

  • MPharm: Social Pharmacy, workforce and governance
  • MPharm: Influences on Professional Practice
  • MPharm: Research Methods
  • Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy and Health Services Pharmacy: Medicines managament and practice research
  • Karen also supervises the practice projects of 3 to 4 undergraduate students per semester
 

Biography

Karen Hassell – a sociologist – is Professor of Social Pharmacy within the Drug Usage and Pharmacy Practice (DUPP) Group, having previously worked as an applied researcher from 1983 doing market, social and health services related research. Karen joined DUPP at its inception in 1991, first running a DH-funded Centre (the PPRRC) designed to raise awareness of the need for an evidence base in pharmacy practice, and teach research skills to practising community pharmacists.  Since then, working in both DUPP and the National Primary Care Research and Development Centre (NPCRDC), Karen has led a number of ground breaking studies in community pharmacy.  In 2000 she was one of three health services researchers selected for a Career Scientist Award under the National Primary Care R & D Scheme, for a 5-year programme of work on the pharmacy workforce. She is Director of the Centre for Pharmacy Workforce Studies at The Workforce Academy, and from January 2008 the Research Director for the School of Pharmacy.

Karen has received a number of awards and accolades in recent years. They include:

Commended prize in the BMA Medical Book Competition 1999 for ‘Demanding Patients: Analysing the Use of Primary Care’ by Rogers A, Hassell K and Nicolaas G. Open University Press.

Karen and the team she worked alongside, including Peter Noyce, Judy Cantrill and Zoe Whittington, were awarded Second prize in the Pharmaceutical Care Award: Shared Care Division 2001, for their innovative study known as the ‘Care at the Chemist’ scheme.

In 2003 Karen was the first non-pharmacist recipient of the Chemist and Druggist Practice Research Medal for her programme of research on the pharmacy workforce.

In 2006 Karen was also elected the first ever Practice Chair of the British Pharmaceutical Conference.

 

Qualifications

  • 2004 - Certifcate in Employment Research - University of Warwick
  • 1997 - PhD - University of Manchester
  • 1994 - MA (Econ) - with distinction - Applied Social Research, University of Manchester
  • 1983 - BSc (Hons) Sociology and Social Research - 2:1 - University of Northumbria
  • 1983 - Dip MRS - Diploma of the Market Research Society - University of Northumbria
 

Collaborators and affiliated staff

Dr Ellen Schafheutle: Karen and Ellen worked together for a number of years on 'ENDEP', an EU-funded 6-nation study on the impact of medication costs on prescriber and consumer behaviour. Ellen is currently working in CPWS on a variety of different proects, after recently completing her post-doctoral award on prescription charges. 

Mr Martin Eden: Martin works for CPWS part time and is currently undertaking a small scale interview study with recently qualified pharmacists who have either left the profession or decided to follow a non-traditional pharmacy career path.

Professor Peter Noyce: Karen and Professor Noyce have worked together on a number of research studies and he was also one of Karen's PhD supervisors. Most recently they worked on the evaluation of LPS, and other studies have included work on skill mix and the work of pharmacy support staff for the Deaprtment of Health. 

Ms Sarah Willis: Sarah joined the Workforce Team in May 2004 to run and manage the longitudinal cohort study which will track the early choices and careers of pharmacy students.

Mr Andy Wagner: Andy joined the Centre in 2007 and before that he worked for the Primary Care Research and development centre. He manages the centre databases and is helping to develop our expertise in the use of geographical information systems.

Dr Darren Ashcroft: Karen and Darren worked together on the evaluation of LPS, and are now part of a team that secured a research grant through the SDO programme to examine the use and impact of incentives on dentists, doctors and pharmacists.

Dr Elizabeth Seston: Liz worked in DUPPG for a number of years as a research associate before undertaking a PhD and taking time off to travel. She now works in CPWS, analysing the workforce census data, and helps on ad-hoc research projects, including the current evaluation of the CPPE 'learning@lunch' package.

 

Selected publications

2011

  • Ellen Schafheutle, Samuel Jee, Karen Hassell, Peter Noyce. (2011). What could the NHS appraisal system contribute to revalidation in pharmacy? The Pharmaceutical Journal, 286, 82-82. eScholarID:119207
  • Ferguson, J., Ashcroft, D. & Hassell, K (2011). Qualitative insights into job satisfaction and dissatisfaction with management among community and hospital pharmacists. Res Social Adm Pharm, 7(3), 306-16. eScholarID:131077 | PMID:21454135 | DOI:10.1016/j.sapharm.2010.06.001
  • Hassell, K., Seston, E., Schafheutle, E., Wagner, A. & Eden, M (2011). Workload in community pharmacies in the UK and its impact on patient safety and pharmacists' well-being: a review of the evidence. Health Soc Care Community, eScholarID:125311 | PMID:21623986 | DOI:10.1111/j.1365-2524.2011.00997.x
  • Jacobs S, Ashcroft D, Hassell K. (2011). Culture in community pharmacy organisations: what can we glean from the literature? Journal of Health Organization and Management, 25(4), 420-454. eScholarID:129170
  • Liz Seston, Karen Hassell, Sally Jacobs, Helen Potter, Julie Prescott, Ellen Schafheutle. (2011). Managing performance concerns in pharmacists: results from surveys of primary care and hospital trusts in England. The Pharmaceutical Journal, eScholarID:130962 | DOI:http://www.pjonline.com/files/rps-pjonline/pdf/PJ030911_1-5.pdf
  • Sarah Willis, Ellen Schafheutle, Rebecca Elvey, Penny Lewis, Stephen Harrison, Karen Hassell. (2011). Can patient-centred professionalism be engendered in young pharmacists? The Pharmaceutical Journal, 287, 203-204. eScholarID:130963
  • Schafheutle EI, Seston E, Hassell K. (2011). Factors influencing pharmacist performance: a review of the peer-reviewed literature. Health Policy, 102, 178-192. eScholarID:133719 | DOI:10.1016/j.healthpol.2011.06.004

2010

  • Ellen Schafheutle, Karen Hassell, Darren M. Ashcroft, Jason Hall, Stephen Harrison. (2010). Learning professionalism through practice exposure and role models. The Pharmaceutical Journal, 285, 164-165. eScholarID:89696
  • Seston E, Hassell K. (2010). Workforce update - joiners, leavers and practising and non-practising pharmacists on the 2009 Register. The Pharmaceutical Journal, 284, 80-82. eScholarID:107395
  • Willis S, Hassell K. (2010). Pharmacists' occupational well-being needs to be improved in order to avoid dispensing errors. The Pharmaceutical Journal, 285, 371-371. eScholarID:107391
  • Hassell K, Jacobs S, Potter H, Prescott J, Schafheutle E, Seston L. (2010). Managing performance concerns about pharmacists. A report for the National Clinical Assessment Service. NCAS, London: www.ncas.npsa.nhs.uk/ncas-services/work-with-pharmacists/. eScholarID:84155
  • Schafheutle E, Hassell K, Ashcroft D, Hall J, Harrison S. (2010). Professionalism in Pharmacy Education. PPRT, London: www.pprt.org.uk/Documents/Professionalism_in_pharmacy_education_final_report.pdf. eScholarID:102872
  • Schafheutle Ellen I, Jacobs Sally, Jee Samuel D, Elvey Rebecca, Hassell K, Noyce Peter R. (2010). Revalidation in Pharmacy: Evaluation of appraisal and alternative sources of evidence. Executive Summary (available at: www.pharmacyregulation.org/pdfs/other/workstream2project2executivesummary.pdf). London: General Pharmaceutical Council. eScholarID:102867
  • Schafheutle Ellen I, Jacobs Sally, Jee Samuel D, Elvey Rebecca, Hassell K, Noyce Peter R. (2010). Revalidation in Pharmacy: Evaluation of appraisal and alternative sources of evidence. Volume 1: Main report (available at: www.pharmacyregulation.org/pdfs/other/workstream2project2finalreportvolume1.pdf). London: General Pharmaceutical Council. eScholarID:119431

2009

  • A. Wagner, K. Hassell. (2009). Is there geographical variation in levels of job satisfaction among hospital and community pharmacists in England? A scoping study. Presented at British Pharmaceutical Conference. Manchester. eScholarID:65478
  • S.E. Willis, E.M. Seston, K Hassell. (2009). Careerist or career drifter? Career commitment at the beginning of a pharmacy career. Presented at British Pharmaceutical Conference. Manchester. eScholarID:50841
  • Seston EM, Hassell K, Cutts C, Schafheutle EI. (2009). Learning at lunch with Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education: comparing uptake by strategic health authority and hospital type. eScholarID:2d2293
  • Wagner AC, Hassell K. (2009). How far do community pharmacists travel to work? Preliminary results. eScholarID:2d2451
  • Eden M, Schafheutle EI, Hassell K. (2009). Workload pressure among recently qualified pharmacists: an exploratory study of intentions to leave the profession. International Journal Of Pharmacy Practice, 17, eScholarID:1d28343
  • Gidman W, Day J, Hassell K, Payne K. (2009). Delivering health care through community pharmacies: are working conditions deterring female pharmacists' participation? J Health Serv Res Policy, 14( 3), eScholarID:1d19309 | DOI:10.1258/jhsrp.2009.008077
  • Schafheutle EI, Hassell K. (2009). Internationally trained pharmacists in Great Britain: What do registration data tell us about their recruitment? Human Resources for Health, 7:51, 1-10. eScholarID:1d19540 | DOI:10.1186/1478-4491-7-51
  • Seston EM, Hassell K, Ferguson J, Hann M. (2009). Exploring the relationship between pharmacists' job satisfaction, intention to quit the profession, and actual quitting. Res Social Adm Pharm, 5( 2), eScholarID:1d19290 | DOI:10.1016/j.sapharm.2008.08.002
  • Seston EM, Hassell K. (2009). Workforce update - joiners, leavers, and practising and non-practising pharmacists on the 2008 Register. The Pharmaceutical Journal, 282, eScholarID:1d28347
  • Willis SC, Shann P, Hassell K. (2009). Pharmacy career deciding: making a choice a "good fit". Health Organisation and Management, 23[1], eScholarID:1d28348 | DOI:10.1108/14777260910942579

2008

  • Eden M, Schafheutle EI, Hassell K. (2008). New recruits to the profession want opportunities to provide new services and utilise their clinical skills. eScholarID:2d2180
  • Eden M, Schafheutle EI, Willis SC, Seston EM, Hassell K. (2008). Why some pharmacists choose non-standard careers soon after qualifying?. eScholarID:2d2079
  • Ferguson J, Hassell K, Ashcroft DM. (2008). Job satisfaction of pharmacists: a critical appraisal of existing tools. eScholarID:2d2548
  • Hassell K, Seston EM. (2008). Inter-sector mobility in the United Kingdom pharmacy workforce between 2003-2005. eScholarID:2d2208
  • Lewis PJ, Hassell K, Tully MP. (2008). The discomfort of an evidence-based prescribing decision. eScholarID:2d2238
  • Potter H, Hassell K, Noyce PR. (2008). What do community pharmacists know about revalidation and how do they feel about it?. eScholarID:2d2550
  • Rowe K.A, Hassell K. (2008). The employment choices and work experiences of white and minority ethnic women pharmacists: preliminary findings from qualitative research. eScholarID:2d2288
  • Schafheutle EI, Hassell K, Seston EM. (2008). What do we know about pharmacists who join the register from overseas?. eScholarID:2d2240
  • Seston EM, Hassell K, Cutts C, Schafheutle EI. (2008). How useful is learing@lunch? Evaluation of a new vocational learning format. eScholarID:2d2089
  • Wagner AC, Seston EM, Hassell K. (2008). Community pharmacist supply: is there variation between populations with different levels of health needs?. eScholarID:2d2416
  • Wagner AC, Willis SC, Hassell K. (2008). Workforce migration: who moves for preregistration training and what kinds of places do they work in?. eScholarID:2d2212
  • Willis SC, Seston EM, Hassell K. (2008). Pre-registration trainees' quality of working life. eScholarID:2d2369
  • Bradley F, Elvey R, Ashcroft DM, Hassell K, Kendall J, Sibbald BS, Noyce PR. (2008). The challenge of integrating community pharmacists into the primary health care team: a case study of local pharmaceutical services (LPS) pilots and interprofessional collaboration. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 22( 4), eScholarID:1d28244 | DOI:10.1080/13561820802137005
  • Hassell K, Nichols L, Noyce PR. (2008). Part of a global workforce: migration of British-trained pharmacists. Journal of Health Services Research & Policy, 13 (suppl 2), eScholarID:1d28157 | DOI:10.1258/jhsrp.2007.007100
  • Noble C, Hassell K. (2008). Informal learning in the workplace: what are the environmental barriers for junior hospital pharmacists? International Journal Of Pharmacy Practice, 16, eScholarID:1d28225
  • Potter H, Hassell K. (2008). Revalidation: the big questions. The Pharmaceutical Journal, 281, 281-281. eScholarID:21409
  • Schafheutle EI, Samuels T, Hassell K. (2008). Support staff in community pharmacy: who are they and what do they want? International Journal Of Pharmacy Practice, 16, eScholarID:1d28153 | DOI:10.1211/ijpp.16.2.0002
  • Willis S, Hassell K. (2008). Where is the place for clinnical traiing? The Pharmaceutical Journal, 281, 216-216. eScholarID:21395

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