Proposals to make DPP 'routine' job responsibility are 'troubling', warns PDA
The union has raised concerns about a report’s “suggestion” to include designated prescribing practitioner (DPP) responsibilities in pharmacists’ job descriptions.
The Pharmacists’ Defence Association (PDA) this week (August 20) warned against apparent proposals to make DPP supervision “a routine responsibility” and part of a pharmacist’s “normal job without considering job evaluation or pay”.
To qualify as an independent prescriber (IP), a pharmacist must be supervised by a DPP during their IP course and have their competency signed off by one at the end.
Last week, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) and the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) released a roundtable report with ten recommendations to address the shortage of DPPs, including prioritising pharmacist’s “capacity to train” in their job descriptions.
“Some perspectives were shared about updating and improving job descriptions and job plans to enable staff to have the time and capacity to be DPP,” the report said.
But now, the PDA has deemed the report’s “suggestion” of baking the role into job descriptions as “troubling”.
“Should not be compulsory”
The union said that it was “neither invited to nor attended” the roundtable event, adding that its “exclusion…is perhaps reflected” in the report.
It stressed that the report “mentions funding for pharmacy businesses but does not discuss rewards for the individual locum and employed pharmacists who might take on this extra responsibility”.
“The PDA encourages existing pharmacists to consider becoming IPs and those that do to consider becoming DPPs,” it said.
But the union “recognises that this must be in the right conditions with fair remuneration and should not be compulsory”, it added.
“Further, those pharmacists who qualified before 2026 should continue to have the ability to practise in professionally fulfilling roles, even without undergoing additional training to become an IP,” it said.
C+D approached the RPS and NPA for comment.
An RPS spokesperson pointed to the report, which said that it is “important that people have time to develop others and develop themselves” in “any organisation and setting”.
“Local leadership is needed by all employers, in all sectors, to consider how they can deliver an effective approach to education within each business or organisation,” it added.
DPP deficit
Meanwhile, C+D revealed earlier this month that individual IP trainees have been asked to pay between £2,500 and £3,000 for their own DPP.
At the time, the PDA told C+D that “this is far from an isolated scenario and seems to be happening at many employers”.
In June, the pharmacy regulator said that it would allow DPPs to virtually supervise trainee prescribing pharmacists “where appropriate” as it tries to ensure there are “enough” supervisors ahead of 2025/26.
Also in June, new Oriel data revealed that large multiples are to be the lead employer on only 277 of the 4,102 placements available for the 2025/26 cohort of pharmacy trainees.
And back in March, C+D exclusively revealed Well Pharmacy’s plans to offer “less than 30” places for English pharmacy trainees in the 2025/26 cohort.
At the time, Well people development manager Jessica Hall told C+D that this would equate to a 75% drop compared to the previous year.
