Careers

Applying the KSF to advanced level pharmacists

By Alison Eggleton, MRPharmS, Brit Cadman, MRPharmS, Helen Howe, FRPharmS, and Denise Farmer, MRPharmS

The NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework should be linked to competence frameworks for different levels of staff. This article describes how a team in Cambridge have linked the KSF to the competence framework for advanced level practitioners
Careers series	See also • Knowledge and skills framework • Competence frameworks
This article as FULL TEXT PDF (50K)

Understanding the KSF process can help pharmacists complete their CPD

Alison Eggleton is principal pharmacist (education and training)

Brit Cadman is principal pharmacist (clinical services)

Helen Howe is chief pharmacist

all at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge

Denise Farmer is associate director (East) for London, Eastern & South East Clinical Pharmacy Specialist Services

Related article
A previous article in this series described how the pharmacist-specific General Level Competency Framework can be linked to the Knowledge and Skills Framework outline for band 6 hospital pharmacists
(Hospital Pharmacist 2007;14:163–5)

SUMMARY

The advanced and consultant level framework (ACLF) was developed by the Competency Development and Evaluation Group (CoDEG) to outline the skills required of pharmacists working at an advanced or consultant level.
(see Comment)

The ACLF consists of 34 competencies in the following six clusters:

• Expert professional practice
• Building working relationships
• Leadership
• Management
• Education, training and development
• Research and evaluation

Each competency has three levels of attainment: foundation, excellence and mastery. In England, the ACLF is used to describe the competency profile expected of applicants for consultant pharmacist posts.

To be considered for either a consultant post or an advanced practitioner post, applicants need to demonstrate that they have attained the required levels at each cluster.

For example, consultant posts require “mastery” of the “expert professional practice” cluster, and the “building working relationships” cluster, and advanced level posts require “excellence” of these clusters.

Work has shown that the ACLF can be specifically applied to critical care pharmacists and pharmacy service managers.

Since one of the guiding principles of the NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF) is that other, more specific competence frameworks can be used with it, a team at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge set out to link the KSF for pharmacists of bands 7–8d to the ACLF.

Careers articles wanted This series profiles different careers available to hospital pharmacists and is designed to give pharmacists a “taster” of working in different specialities. Any hospital pharmacist who has an idea for an article or who is considering writing about their career is invited to contact the editorial office on 020 7572 2425/2419.

Ideas can be e-mailed to
hannah.pike@pharmj.org.uk or
gareth.malson@pharmj.org.uk

Articles can be sent by post to Hospital Pharmacist, 1 Lambeth High Street, London, SE1 7JN