Guidance to help pharmacists develop their leadership skills for the future, improve patient care and face the current "challenges" in healthcare has been published.

The leadership development framework replaces the leadership competency framework, released by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) in 2011, and takes into account the NHS leadership academies healthcare leadership model used as a basis for many NHS leadership programmes.

Director of professional development and support at the RPS, Catherine Duggan, said the update was introduced as a result of "unprecedented" challenges facing healthcare in the UK.

Duggan said the framework highlights leadership behaviours all pharmacists can develop and is not affected by seniority or level of experience.

The framework is applicable to all pharmacies in England, Wales and Scotland, and for non-NHS pharmacy sectors also.

The framework is divided into nine domains, which covers qualities and behaviours expected of an effective pharmacy leader.