Development of supervision and training placement models to support and expand numbers of pharmacist independent prescribers and Designated Prescribing Practitioners in North Central London
North Central London IPMO
Background
In-line with many ICSs, there are large numbers of pharmacists within NCL across all sectors of pharmacy practice waiting to undertake independent prescribing (IP) training, and insufficient DPPs to provide supervision.
As we progress towards 2025/26, we need to build sufficient DPP capacity to provide support for pharmacists undertaking IP as part of their foundation training, along with the necessary infrastructure for ongoing continuing professional development, structured clinical supervision, and reflective practice post registration.
This project aims to address these challenges through the development of support forums and access to structured learning opportunities for portfolio activities during IP training.
Project Aims
Understand and model pharmacist Independent Prescriber (IP) and Designated Prescribing Practitioner (DPP) numbers and activities across NCL.
Establish support networks and forums for both pharmacist IPs and DPPs .
Develop, deliver in pilot form, and evaluate placements for IPs in training, to facilitate ease of access to quality assured, supervised hours in practice and release capacity amongst DPPs.
All three components have a scope that will include the entirety of the NCL ICS pharmacy workforce. However, the focus of the placements will be community and primary care, where pharmacists working in relative isolation may find it difficult to access structured learning opportunities.
Project Objectives
Release capacity within the existing DPP workforce across NCL to allow supervision for a greater number of IPs in training within our existing resource.
Improve access to high quality supervised IP-related learning experiences for pharmacists that do not have easy access to DPPs within their place of employment, particularly in primary care and community pharmacy.
Improve the experience of pharmacists undertaking IP training within NCL.
Develop models of supervision and continuing professional development for both IPs and DPPs across all sectors of pharmacy practice.
Support an increase in IP and DPP numbers across NCL ICS in all sectors of the pharmacy workforce, in-line with the NHS five year forward plan, the strategic aims of the NCL ICS People Board, and the IPMO workforce strategy.
Expected Outputs
A completed benchmarking exercise outlining current numbers of IPs and projected demand for training in each sector of pharmacy practice within NCL.
Establish and maintain a range of structured placement opportunities across all sectors of pharmacy practice.
Enrol ten pharmacists across the ICS onto a training plan, mapping these placements against specialist scopes of practice to provide enhanced learning experiences.
Create multi-sector support networks for IPs and DPPs to provide support, ongoing professional development and incentivise existing IPs to come forward into DPP roles.
Project Team
Name
Louise Coughlan
Robin Offord
Shivani Patel
Soumia Kolli
Organisation
Chief Pharmacist NCL ICS
University College Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Haringey GP Federation
Islington GP Federation
Role
Accountable Officer
Project Lead
Project Lead
Project Lead