Rigorous accreditation process for PhwSIs revealed
Community pharmacists who want to become pharmacists with special interests (PhwSIs) will have to undergo a rigorous accreditation process in order to undertake advanced clinical practice. Details
of the new process were revealed in guidance launched by health minister Andy Burnham last week.
The definition and accreditation process for PhwSIs is now shared with
GPs with special interests, and both will have to undergo accreditation
to ensure that they have the necessary skills for the role. The initial
framework for PhwSIs was published last year (PJ, 9 September
2006, p299).
Definition of a pharmacist or a GP with a special interest
 A pharmacist or GP with a special interest supplements his or
her core generalist role by delivering an additional high quality
service
to meet the needs of patients. Working principally in the community,
they deliver a clinical service beyond the scope of their core
professional role or may undertake advanced interventions not
normally undertaken by their peers. They will have demonstrated
appropriate
skills and competencies to deliver those services without direct
supervision.
Although PhwSIs may be accredited only from spring 2007 onwards,
there are several existing and emerging service models similar
to PhwSIs in the areas of substance misuse, anticoagulation,
Parkinson’s
disease, diabetes, sexual health, pain management, dermatology
and old people. |
At the launch, David Colin-Thomé, national director
for primary care at the Department of Health, said: “By introducing
this new accreditation process our aim is to ensure GPs and pharmacists
with special
interests, and the services in which they work, are safe, of a high quality
and improve the patient experience and health outcomes in the communities
in which they are located.”
Individual clinicians will be accredited by primary care trusts under
the new nationally recognised scheme, which is to be delivered locally.
Accreditation panels should, as a minimum, include a senior commissioner,
a senior professional representative, a lay person and a senior clinician
from the relevant specialty, the guidance says.
The services within which PhwSIs work must also be accredited according
to the Government’s “Standards for better health”.
Once commissioners have developed a service specification, most likely
where services are being redesigned, PhwSIs will be invited to apply
and will be appointed to deliver a particular clinical service within
a defined integrated care pathway. In many circumstances, they will only
be recruited into services that have already been accredited.
Ongoing competence of PhwSIs will be assessed at least every three years,
says the guidance. If practitioners are unable to use their specialist
skills for longer then 12 months, they must be reaccredited before they
work again as a PhwSI, it adds.
The guidance specifies that PCTs should set up and manage a locally held
list of accredited PhwSIs and GPwSIs, to include length and date of accreditation
and details of specialty. The lists should be made available for public
inspection.
“Local commissioners can now begin to explore how PhwSIs could
support moving pharmaceutical care closer to home,” Beth Taylor,
national PhwSI development lead, NHS Primary Care Contracting, told The
Journal. “The
new nationally defined, locally implemented accreditation process will
assure patients and the NHS that these practitioners are working within
a robust governance framework.” She added that PCC is keen to support
PhwSI implementation through work with early adopters and shared learning
with others. Mrs Taylor encouraged those who may be interested to contact
her at beth.taylor@southwarkpct.nhs.uk or
via the PCC website.
The guidance, “Implementing care closer to home: convenient quality
care for patients”, is part of a suite of documents published last
week, which also includes an introduction and overview of practitioners
with special interests and a step-by-step guide for commissioners. The
documents are available
online.
Agenda
for 2007 p527 |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal
Acrobat
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