Training preregistration trainees for their future roles as experts in medicines

The aspirations in “Prescription for excellence”, the Scottish Government’s vision and action plan for the future of NHS pharmaceutical care in Scotland, are now emerging. New models of care are developing and service planners are considering how the future workforce can be supported with extended roles for all members of the pharmacy team.

Within my role I coordinate the local delivery of the NHS Education Scotland preregistration trainee training within NHS Tayside. The realisation of the need for a different approach to the training provided has opened the door of opportunity to review and challenge our programmes and the infrastructure in which trainees learn and practise. In Tayside we have moved to a locality model, with many pharmacists practising across the interface of acute hospital and GP surgeries. In 1997, most of the first wave of pharmacists came from the hospital service. Today, increasingly, pharmacists with a community background are moving sectors or working on a session basis with their local GP practices. Pharmacists are working alongside healthcare colleagues delivering person-centred care.

Pharmacy is positioned to contribute to the Scottish Government’s National Health and Wellbeing Outcomes, but education and training is required to develop and hone our communication and team working skills further in different healthcare settings to maximise our contribution.

As a training provider we have taken the decision to work in partnership with community pharmacy colleagues to offer a modular programme across GP practice, community and hospital in NHS Tayside. Our trainees are deemed capable as graduates to commence their preregistration training. It is our goal to support them to develop their competency and confidence to demonstrate their core professional skills in different practice environments. The modular programme provides an opportunity to focus on how we support our trainees to be generalist pharmacists who appreciate the challenges that the public and other health care professionals face when accessing or providing pharmaceutical care services.

Not everyone agrees with the direction and concerns have been voiced from colleagues that we will no longer be providing a hospital preregistration programme. That is true. What we aspire to deliver is a professional development programme that prepares trainees for their future roles as pharmacists, contributing to a common goal, with fellow professions to improve the health of our populations.

Deborah Stafford

Election candidate

Scottish Pharmacy Board

Royal Pharmaceutical Society