RPS and NPA unveil collaborative plan to tackle DPP challenges for community pharmacy

The report encourages organisations to work collaboratively to help dispel some of the misconceptions related to DPPs to support prescribing and bring primary care closer together

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) in England and the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) have jointly released a report addressing the challenges faced by community pharmacy when accessing designated prescribing practitioners (DPPs).

This report is the outcome of a multiprofessional roundtable event held in June, which brought together representatives from employers, unions, regulators, and NHS England.

The report proposes solutions and collaborative actions to build on the current work to support pharmacists and trainees in securing access to a DPP, enabling more of the pharmacy workforce to become prescribers.

James Davies, RPS Director for England, said: “The report published today demonstrates the importance of working collaboratively across employers, education training providers and the NHS to ensure that we can create the prescribers that our patients need for the future.

“While there is significant work to continue to do by all parties, this helps us come closer to addressing some of the current DPP challenges for community pharmacy.”

Among its key recommendations, the report urges

• Pharmacies that submit placements to the National Recruitment Scheme (Oriel) to work together with Integrated Care System (ICS) workforce leads to assess their readiness to provide a prescribing learning environment.
• Organisations to publish case studies highlighting the benefits experienced by GP practices and hospital trusts from supporting community pharmacist trainees.
• ICB pharmacy Workforce leads to leverage their convening power to foster local partnerships and interprofessional working including considering a local “matchmaking” service.
• Organisations to work collaboratively to help dispel some of the misconceptions related to DPPs to support prescribing and bring primary care closer together.

The report emphasises the importance of these collaborative efforts in mitigating the challenges associated with DPP access and enhancing the prescribing pathway for pharmacists.

NPA chair Nick Kaye, who chaired the event said: “Whilst there’s still more to do about access to DPPs, it is positive that senior figures in NHS England, including the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer, plus stakeholders from across community pharmacy and beyond are now engaged in seeking solutions.”

The RPS has also released a GB-wide set of recommendations on Monday (12 August), calling for DPPs to be granted protected learning time to undertake their role.

The organisation also recommends that DPPs be given job descriptions that accurately reflect the supervision and support they offer to trainees, along with establishing consistent expectations for workplace support and qualifications for DPPs across all sectors of practise.