North West and North East: Preparation support for Designated Prescribing Practitioners (all sectors)

Introduction 

This project explores opportunities for early or enhanced development for pharmacists, working with higher education institution (HEI) independent prescriber programme leads and non-medical prescribing networks to provide access and support:

• Using existing project resources to encourage prescribers to return to active prescribing
• Staggering development
• Creating a pipeline for DPPs 

This project is in the pilot stage. 

Comment: The provider for these project resources is based in the North West. Many HEIs have used these resources to help DPPs supporting their trainees. The difference is expanding access to the resources at an earlier stage and increasing the capacity and capability of DPPs.  

Project lead contact: Joanna.tate@hecooperative.co.uk

Local challenges

• Lack of DPP preparation, both prior to supervising as a new DPP, but also through ongoing continuous professional development (CPD), including extending scope of supervision  
• Many independent prescribers (IPs) are not yet ready, confident or competent to take on a DPP role, despite urgent need outstripping demand 
• Access to consistent training, and awareness of the role requirements

Novel intervention

• DPP preparation online modules
• An e-learning resource developed programme leads of non-medical prescribing programmes at the Universities of Bolton, Cumbria, and Salford. Content from established non-medical prescribing (NMP) resource, used for over 7 years by universities across England to support the delivery of the NMP/IP qualification, 
• Resources were made available to eligible healthcare professionals, for IPs to start their supervision journey, earlier in their career.  This was shared with NMP networks, HEI NMP/IP programme leads and an offer was made to use the resources as enhanced learning, to start at any time

Local DPP database?

Not required for this project

Timescale and resources

• Flexible access enabled - for anyone eligible to become a prescribing practitioner in the North 
• Other HEIs have a direct arrangement with the Health & Education Co-operative (HE Cooperative, formed by five North West Universities)
• A Communities of Practice model - based on action learning sets around each module, clinical topics or NMP Networks is starting to be explored 

Key advice and lessons learnt

• A North West report showed that despite online modules being available, many practitioners remain unaware of the resource available to support their development
• Many current IPs are not ready or don’t feel confident enough to become DPP yet, so a building blocks approach was helpful
• Mentoring and ongoing clinical supervision required
• ICB-based communities of practice (CoP) are made accessible alongside local universities to better prepare prospective DPPs, using existing resources 

Research and evaluation

Local Evaluation ongoing with NMP networks:  

• North West Report 2022 available on request 
• North East &Yorkshire report to follow summer 2023

For further information, please contact: Joanna.tate@hecooperative.co.uk