Prescribing courses, accessing funding and finding a DPP

• Courses: Finding an independent prescribing course involves several steps (outlined in Table 2, above). The General Pharmaceutical Council accredits more than 40 prescribing courses and provides detailed information on the requirements and processes involved when applying. There is a list of accredited courses on its website.
• Funding: NHS England provides information on funded training places for pharmacists wanting to become independent prescribers. It also lists approved course providers and eligibility criteria.
• DPPs: Finding a supervising designated prescribing practitioner (DPP) can be challenging. Pharmacists can engage with professional networks and bodies such as the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, Primary Care Pharmacy Association, National Pharmacy Association or various specialist interest groups, which can provide mentors who are experienced independent prescribers, who can offer support.

Within your work organisation, there may be senior colleagues who are well connected and can recommend suitable DPPs. The DPP does not have to be a medical practitioner and can be a pharmacist or nurse. Contact local GP practices, primary care organisations and hospitals to enquire about potential DPPs.

Consider using a dedicated DPP finder service, which can pair pharmacists with qualified DPPs.

There are online directories of DPPs, but be aware of fee structures for supervision, which can be costly. Also check how many students a DPP is proposing to supervise on the course, as some universities do not permit multiple students with one DPP in a single cohort.

General practitioners as DPPs 

Independent prescribing training involves a period of supervised practice, typically 90 hours. This supervised learning covers a total of 12 days, each lasting 7.5 hours.

During this time, trainee prescribers are supervised by a DPP, who assesses their performance and signs them off as competent. The DPP must provide care for a patient cohort and type of activity that aligns to the trainee’s proposed scope of practice.

A GP acting as a DPP can offer a valuable perspective because they manage a wide range of medical conditions across a diverse patient demographic, which helps to provide insights into various clinical scenarios and examples of complex case management.

Doctors are used to considering patients holistically, including their medical history and social circumstances, as well as psychological factors. They work closely with other healthcare professionals, which enhances teamwork and communication across sectors. 

A GP’s diagnostic skills are obviously advanced and wide-ranging, and they will have had plenty of experience in informed clinical decision- making, the need to prioritise patient issues and managing uncertainty – all of which will also apply to prescribing community pharmacists.

GPs often deal with sensitive and complex patient issues requiring a high degree of empathy and compassion and the need to build rapport, and also involve patients in decisions about their care.