DPP shortage: Crunch talks generate positive engagement, say RPS and NPA
The RPS and the NPA have joined forces to call for action over the designated prescribing practitioners (DPP) shortage, identifying pressure points including competition for DPPs between students, continuity with mentors, and consistency across placements.
Following a discussion last June attended by numerous stakeholders including employers, unions, regulators and the NHS, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) and the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) have now released a report with ten recommendations to address the shortage of DPPs.
To qualify as an Independent Prescriber, a pharmacist must be supervised by a DPP during their IP course and be signed off by a DPP at the end of it. But warnings of an emerging shortage of DPPs late last year have intensified.
In June C+D revealed the GPhC was considering "virtual supervision" by DPPs to spread the workload, while in August it emerged some trainees were being asked to fund their own DPPs.
Read more: Trainee prescribers: GPhC to allow ‘virtual supervision’ by DPPs
In its report, the RPS says recommendations from the discussion included the publication of "case studies" demonstrating the "benefits achieved by GP practices and hospital trusts from supporting community pharmacist trainees."
It also said ICB pharmacy Workforce leads had been encouraged to "leverage their convening power to foster local partnerships and interprofessional working including considering a local 'matchmaking' service."
Read more: Multiples will only offer 300 trainee placements for 2025/26
RPS Director for England James Davies said the report would help bring "all parties" closer to addressing the DPP issue, while NPA chairman Nick Kaye said it was "positive" that "stakeholders from across community pharmacy and beyond are now engaged in seeking solutions.”
