The General Pharmaceutical Council is asking for opinions on its proposed changes to continuing professional development as it moves towards a revalidation model. We look at what is being proposed.

 

 

Revalidation is the process by which a supervisory body – in this case the GPhC – confirms that the professionals it regulates (pharmacists and pharmacy technicians) are up-to-date and fit to practise.

Doctors have been subject to revalidation by the General Medical Council since late 2012, while the Nursing and Midwifery Council introduced revalidation in April 2016.

Is this the same thing as continuing fitness to practise?

Yes. The GPhC has been monitoring continuing fitness to practise (CFtP) for several years but many people felt the term sounded very similar to the processes used to investigate pharmacy professionals when concerns are raised. To avoid confusion, the term “revalidation” is now being readopted.

So what’s changing?

At the moment, pharmacy professionals make a declaration when renewing their GPhC registration that they meet set standards and are fit to practise. That is staying the same under the current proposals. What is changing is the way in which CPD is recorded and reviewed and how often it is submitted.

Is it more complicated?

The GPhC says that the proposed new CPD recording requirements in its revalidation model are less onerous and simpler than those currently. Each year all registrants will have to undertake, record and submit four CPD activities, a peer discussion and a reflective account against one of the GPhC standards.

Will there be more paperwork to complete?

Again, the GPhC says this is not the case. Recording CPD entries will be simpler, with the aim of making them more focused on learning and development activities that matter to pharmacy professionals and the people using their services, freeing up time to do the peer discussion and reflective account elements.

What does that involve?

Pharmacy professionals will be expected to identify someone – a colleague, manager, mentor or even expert patient – they can talk to about their practice, in particular how it benefits the public. This can be done in person, by phone or another way, and the GPhC will only want to know that it has taken place, not the full details of what was discussed.

The GPhC says this will help pharmacy professionals reflect and improve upon their practice, and reduce the sense of isolation that many feel.

The reflective account is basically a case study that demonstrates how a registrant incorporates the GPhC’s standards into their work. It will comprise a brief summary of what they have done over the last year, how a certain standard has been met, and some supporting examples. The GPhC standards and guidance will be simplified to make this easier.

Will everything be reviewed every year?

The GPhC will select a certain number of records to review – some targeted and others randomly – and says this approach will ease the stress and workload many feel when their records are called for review every few years. The process will involve lay reviewers to enhance the voice of patients and the public, and better quality feedback will be provided to registrants.

What if I can’t submit each year?

That’s fine – if there is a good reason (for example, maternity leave or long-term sickness), in which case it will be possible to renew your registration without submitting your records.

Under some circumstances, partial records will be accepted or an extension may be granted. However, if there is not a good reason for not submitting records, the GPhC will start the “remediation process”, which gives pharmacists another opportunity to submit their records. Failure to do so will be followed by a process known as “administrative removal”.

It is possible to be reinstated to the register after this, as long as a pharmacist submits their continuing professional development, peer discussion and reflective account records, and they are accepted.

When will the changes be brought in?

A staged introduction is planned to allow registrants to get used to the new system, but pharmacy professionals are advised to start using the new approach from next year (March) as reviews of the new CPD recording system will start in 2019, and a year later for peer discussion and reflective accounts.

What do I need to do now?

The full consultation document can be downloaded by clicking here. Comments and suggestions can be submitted to the GPhC until July 17, 2017.