1. The Development of a Vocational Training (VT) Foundation Programme for Community Pharmacists
Heather Harrison1; Fiona McMillan1; Ailsa Power1; Harry McQuillan2; Alex MacKinnon3
contact:
1.NHS Education Scotland; 2.Community Pharmacy Scotland; 3.The Royal Pharmaceutical Society
Background
Scottish Government's National Pharmacy strategy1 envisions that all patients receive high quality pharmaceutical care, with pharmacists using their clinical skills to their full potential, taking an enhanced role in preventing ill health and providing a clinical input to a caseload of patients. Community pharmacy is the main conduit for the public to access pharmaceutical care. It is therefore essential that community pharmacists have access to a national training programme to support their ongoing personal and professional development after concluding their pre-registration training. For the past 10 years within NHS Scotland, NHS Education for Scotland (NES) Pharmacy has offered a Foundation Training programme exclusively for pharmacists early in their career, within the hospital sector. The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) offer the RPS Foundation Framework to all sectors of pharmacy practice, however, this is only available to RPS members.
Aims
To develop a NES national training framework to support the training and development of all early career pharmacists that would be acceptable, applicable and relevant to Scottish pharmacists regardless of the area of practice
To provide a vehicle to enable community pharmacists to deliver enhanced pharmaceutical care to their full potential in line with the Quality Strategy for Scotland2
Methods
Assess
A literature search was undertaken to explore competency frameworks in pharmacy/other disciplines worldwide.
The NES VT Foundation programme for hospital pharmacists was mapped against the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) Pre-Registration Performance Standards (to build upon previously gained knowledge, skills and behaviours) and the RPS Foundation framework .
Investigative discussions were held with community pharmacists implementing the RPS Foundation framework already to transfer the learning.
Design
A steering group and a working group with a range of relevant stakeholders were convened.
The terms of reference of the groups were agreed with a timetable of regular face- to -face meetings; clearly defined outcomes were developed along with a plan and timeframes of achievement.
The groups produced competencies detailing the behaviours, knowledge and skills required for a community pharmacist to practice safely and effectively. The type and number of pieces of evidence that would usefully demonstrate achievement of the competencies was also agreed.
The group defined a range of evaluation measures and resources for the programme.
A wider consultation within the community pharmacy sector was communicated by Community Pharmacy Scotland (CPS).
Implementation and evaluation
The NES VT Foundation Training programme for community pharmacists will be piloted from September 2017.
Results
A NES VT Foundation Training programme for community pharmacists has been developed and incorporated into a
combined framework which covers hospital, primary care and community pharmacy areas of practice
A set of resources including an eportfolio has been developed to support the completion of the competency framework
Discussion
Development of the NES VT Foundation Training programme for community pharmacists has been a journey rather than a destination.
Challenges
Ensuring the community pharmacy sector of the programme was equitable with the existing hospital and emerging primary care requirements.
Developing acceptable, applicable and relevant competencies. Achieving a majority consensus after a consultation which generated significant variances in opinion.
Good Practice Points
Consultation and involvement with a wide range of key stakeholders.
Effective stakeholder engagement, particularly in the steering and working groups.
Regular communication and the clear setting of outcomes maintained focus on the objectives of the project.
Detailed discussions around the evaluation of the programme facilitated clarity in defining process and outcome measures.
Conclusion This project has facilitated the development of a national, Scottish, VT Foundation Training programme which allows for modular, flexible working practices between three areas of pharmacy practice thus enabling Foundation Pharmacists to train across three, two or one area of practice with RPS members being able to also receive RPS accreditation.
References
The Scottish Government, (2013), Prescription for Excellence: A Vision and Action Plan; Scottish Government.
The Scottish Government, (May 2010), The Healthcare Quality Strategy for NHSScotland Edinburgh; Scottish Government.