Midlands: Increasing community pharmacists' access to DMP and DPP supervision (community pharmacy)

Introduction

This case study in the Midlands presented an opportunity for community pharmacists to access further clinical skills and independent prescribing qualifications. The Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland Training Hub ​invited expressions of interest from potential designated medical practitioners (DMPs) or designated prescribing practitioners (DPPs) to provide the supervision required for pharmacists to achieve those qualifications. In return for the offer of funding, DMPs/DPPs were expected to commit to the learning pharmacist, to criteria set by the Training Hub .

Project lead contact: m.gilbert1@nhs.net

Local challenges

• Access to high quality supervision is widely recognised as crucial for ensuring high standards of patient care and professional development. Therefore the importance of matching community pharmacists who have gained access to NHS-funded independent prescribing training courses with appropriate supervisors, was imperative and time-sensitive
• Workforce pressure to release staff to become DPPs and to supervise learners 

Novel intervention

• Developing a business case to access supervision funding (Please note: This case study highlights an existing local approach rather than an NHS England process) 
• To match community pharmacists with supervisors, consideration was given to the type of cases the pharmacists were likely to encounter, their previous experience, and their preferred mode of support ​ 
• The Training Hub then matched the pharmacists’ individual needs with the expertise and experience of the supervisors - for example, a community pharmacist who wanted to specialise in cardiovascular disease may require a supervisor with a background in cardiology

Local DPP database

Yes

Timescale and resources

The Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland Training Hub offered a nominal fee to prospective supervisors, in recognition of the time taken for any additional training needed to reach the standard required to become a supervisor. Standards were set and agreed at the outset, and expressions of interest were completed with these standards agreed by applicants to ensure consistency. 

Key advice and lessons learnt

The Training Hub hopes that by maintaining a database of consistently trained supervisors, they can facilitate matching community pharmacists with appropriate supervision for their prescribing qualification.​

Research and evaluation

Project commenced early 2023 - early insights to follow. For more information, please contact the project lead: m.gilbert1@nhs.net.