SWMIT Pharmacy Accreditations Newsletter

Transcription

1 South West Medicines Information & Training Inside This Issue 1 Welcome 2 News Programme Support National Framework updates 3 Dispensing Accuracy 4 ACPT/PIPC updates 5 Transfer of Accreditation 6 Pre-course workbooks 7 MM Training Scheme 8 Product Approval Accreditation Programme 9 New MM modules 10 Reaccreditation 11 Resubmission Fees 12 Opportunities to present 13 Mentor Day 14 Dates for the Diary SWMIT Pharmacy Accreditations Newsletter VOLUME 2 ISSUE 1 June 2014 Welcome Welcome to the SWMIT Pharmacy Accreditations newsletter. In this issue some of the changes and updates to the SWMIT accreditation courses will be explained, as well as an overview of all the forthcoming programmes and potential future developments provided. News Programme Support To support the delivery and development of the four SWMIT pharmacy accreditations we now have three pharmacy technicians who are assisting Ellen with the running of courses, facilitation of assessment days and portfolio assessment. This new level of support is enabling SWMIT to continue to assess portfolios and sign off successful candidates promptly and efficiently whilst enabling further development of the existing schemes and the development of new programmes to meet local service needs. Mary Carter (Medicines Management regional assessor), Rachael Whiteley (Product Approval/Pre and In Process Checking (PIPC) programme support) and Kate Brereton (Accuracy Checking Pharmacy Technician (ACPT) programme support) continue in their practice based roles with allocated time to support the SWMIT scheme delivery. Here they introduce themselves: Mary Carter I qualified as a pharmacy technician in 1989 and since then have experienced pharmacy practice in a wide range of settings. I worked with the South West regional pharmacy training team on the development and running of the post qualification accreditation schemes for pharmacy technicians and now hold the post of specialist pharmacy technician within a pharmacy led anticoagulant dosing service at the Bristol Royal Infirmary. Rachael Whiteley I am a registered Pharmacy Technician with over 9 years experience in Aseptic Services. I really enjoy my job and my enthusiasm and high standards are reflected in those that I work with. I am so proud to be in a position where I can help and support SWMIT deliver such a quality training programme. Kate Brereton I am a predominantly a medicines management technician, an ACPT, a medicines management mentor and a trainee NVQ assessor at the Royal Cornwall Hospital. I am a very enthusiastic chairperson of the Association of Pharmacy Technicans UK Cornwall Branch and have been a committee member for the branch for the last 5 years helping to run these learning events. I am hoping to be elected as the APTUK CPD national officer in June 2014.

2 National Framework Updates Both the ACPT and PIPC National Frameworks were reviewed and updated in August As a result, the SW ACPT and PIPC schemes have been reviewed, revised and updated in line with the new standards. The new handbooks and associated documentation were published on the SWMIT website in March 14. The key changes to the schemes will be outlined later in this newsletter. NEWS: ACPT & PIPC scheme error criteria has now changed SW Dispensing Accuracy Assessment In line with the revised ACPT National Framework standards, the SW Dispensing Accuracy Assessment has been reviewed and updated. Historically, the assessment required individuals to complete a 500 item log with a combination of some serious and some less serious errors permitted. The new standards stipulate that each individual must accurately dispense 200 items with no errors to successfully complete the assessment. Remember that to confirm your place on an ACPT Course, you must submit your current dispensing accuracy certificate as evidence of successful completion. To be considered current, the assessment must have been completed within the 2 years prior to the course induction. The certificate should be sent to SWMIT at least two weeks before the induction course. Please be sure to complete this as failure to do so will result in your place on the course being withdrawn. ACPT and PIPC Scheme Updates As indicated, the ACPT and PIPC schemes have been revised in line with the updated National Frameworks. Both handbooks have been rewritten with a view to making them as user friendly and as helpful as possible. If you are an Educational Supervisor for these schemes, please take some time to familiarise yourself with the new handbooks and the new portfolio templates. The key changes to the schemes are as follows: Errors The most important thing when an error is made is that the candidate is able to reflect on what went wrong and learn from this experience. This should be the same regardless of whether the candidate is at 10 items/checks or 910. It was felt that this learning is often lost when the necessary restart is considered much more of a punishment the closer to the 1000 items/checks the candidate is when the error is made. To ensure all candidates are given a fair opportunity and that each individual is able to reflect and learn from the errors made, the error criteria has been amended and now states: Whilst completing the collection of 1000 accurately checked items (ACPT) or 1000 checks (PIPC), the following scope for error will apply: 1 st attempt - 1 serious error or 3 less serious = Period of reflection and 250 additional items/checks 2 nd error (serious or less serious) = Period of reflection and restart 1000 items/checks Any candidate who fails on their second full attempt (following a complete restart) must inform their ACPT/PIPC Educational Supervisor who will then inform the course lead as soon as possible. Reflection To support the change to the error criteria, each candidate is required to fully reflect on ALL errors made and document this on an Error Analysis Record (found within the portfolio templates). All error documentation and previous attempts must be included in the final portfolio submission for review.

3 SWMIT Pharmacy Accreditations PAGE Newsletter 3 ACPT Certificates ACPT certificates awarded to registered pharmacy technicians will now reflect the generic process of checking, not specific knowledge of prescription types or specialities as they have previously, this is with the exception of oncology and haematology. It is the responsibility of the accredited ACPT to only check within their scope of practice. Professional judgement should be used to decide when it is appropriate to check a new prescription type or speciality. If the individual feels that they are not professionally competent to check any prescription, they should seek another qualified ACPT or pharmacist to check it and highlight this to their line manager. They should then discuss the need for additional competency assessment with their dispensary manager in order to add this to their scope of practice if appropriate. Transfer of Accreditation There are times when an individual moves to a new Trust within the SW and wishes to transfer an existing ACPT/PIPC accreditation (awarded by SWMIT or another training provider). Full details on the requirements for this process are now included in the scheme handbooks. In addition, there is now a Transfer of Accreditation Toolkit available to download from the relevant page of the SWMIT website. A toolkit for the Medicines Management Training scheme will follow shortly. ACPT/PIPC Pre-course Workbooks SWMIT has now been running the one day combined induction course for some time and whilst this has proved largely successful, it has become apparent that some of the content that was removed from the face to face study days and converted to self-directed learning is being missed. An online resource was launched to support candidates with this aspect of the scheme but this has not proved very successful as many candidates do not or cannot use it. These additional reflective tasks are a really important part of a candidate s learning as they prepare for the scheme and ensure that all candidates have the same level of understanding when they attend the induction. As a result, the pre-course workbooks for both schemes have been revised and updated to ensure that all the necessary activities and learning are included and undertaken prior to attending the induction course. To confirm that the pre-course work has been completed in its entirety and to the required standard, a copy of the pre-course work certificate, signed by the Educational Supervisor must be submitted to SWMIT prior to attending the induction course. Failure to do so will result in your place on the course being withdrawn. Please note: For ACPT candidates, this is in addition to your dispensing accuracy certificate. SW Medicines Management (MM) Training Scheme The National Framework for the Assessment of Medicines Management Skills was reviewed in October 2013 with minimal changes. The publication of the revised version was postponed pending the launch of the new Consultation Skills Standards for Practice but will be published on the NHS Pharmacy Education & Development Committee website in the next few weeks. Following the launch of the updated framework, the SW MM scheme will be reviewed and updated in line with this. As the scheme is nationally approved, to sustain our nationally recognised status we will be required to apply for national approval for a further 3 years in Oct 14. You will be kept updated with the outcome. If you have any comments or thoughts on the current MM scheme or suggestions on areas for improvement, please contact Ellen. SWMIT are always keen to ensure that the scheme remains fit for purpose and appreciate the feedback of those of you that use it.

4 Product Approval Accreditation Programme The South West Product Approval Programme is designed for both pharmacists and pharmacy technicians responsible for the role of approving and releasing aseptically prepared products under section 10 exemption. After a successful pilot and full national aseptic groups support, this programme is now formally established and all the dates for the forthcoming induction courses and assessment days are available on the SWMIT website. Initially we will be running two induction courses (30 delegates per course) per year and four to five assessment days. As with our other schemes, there is a series of pre-course work required before any evidence of competence can be collected and before attending the induction, including some pre-course assessments. This pre-course workbook is available to download from the SWMIT website along with the course handbook and portfolio templates. For pharmacy technicians wishing to apply for this course, you will need to have been accredited in the PIPC scheme and actively checking in your PIPC role for at least the last 6 months. Your site will also require Regional Quality Assurance Officer support for you to proceed. For rotational pharmacists wishing to undertake the programme, we appreciate that waiting until the next induction before you start releasing products is not always feasible. As a result, the scheme is flexible in its approach in that you can begin collecting your evidence (using the scheme assessment methodology and paperwork) prior to attending the induction if this fits in better with your rotation. There are four key components to the scheme pre-course work and pre-course assessment, induction course, evidence collection and assessment, and summative assessment. For rotational pharmacists, there is flexibility around which order you complete these in. As long as you complete all of them, you can complete the scheme and gain formal accreditation. It is worth noting that how Product Approvers are trained is being incorporated into the EL (97) 52 audit standards, so the national standards will soon be a measure of this. Using this scheme to train pharmacists and pharmacy technicians within your aseptic services units can help you meet this standard. If you would like to discuss the course in any more detail, please don t hesitate to get in touch. New MM modules SWMIT are currently working on the development of some new modules for the MM programme. This has been in the planning stages for some time but now that the Product Approval programme is established and we have some additional support in the form of our programme support team, we are in a position to move ahead with this. The new modules will address the training needs of some of the enhanced aspects of the medicines management role, for example, clinical prioritisation, identifying high risk medicines and high risk patients, discharge planning and facilitation, and clinical audit and involvement in intervention data gathering and reporting. These modules will be aimed at individuals already accredited in the existing MM scheme who are looking to build on their experience as a MM pharmacy technician and develop their knowledge and skills further. We will keep you updated with the progress of this project but hope to begin piloting the programme towards the end of 2014.

5 Reaccreditation The implementation of the new locally managed reaccreditation process has proved very successful and reaccreditation has now been being managed in this way for over two years. However, to ensure that the reaccreditation process is still meeting the national framework standards for the schemes. SWMIT (as the training provider) is required to quality assure the process. Confirmation is needed that individuals are completing the process and departmental records are being maintained. As a result, SWMIT will be starting to periodically audit your departmental reaccreditation records and sample individuals reaccreditation documentation. Individuals will be selected at random from each site. Individuals who have failed to reaccredit or have significant and unexplained breaks in their evidence of ongoing competency may be removed from the SWMIT register and/or required to complete extra evidence to restore their accredited status. You will receive advance notice of when your reaccreditation records review is due and further details of the process will be provided. Reaccreditation: the responsibility of reaccreditation lies solely with the candidate, it is their responsibility to know the date of their personal reaccreditation and ensure that this process is completed Portfolio Resubmission Fees Occasionally, portfolios are submitted for assessment from across the schemes that are a long way off meeting the scheme criteria. These portfolios consequently require a large amount of feedback and additional resource to assess them fully a second time. This process can prove lengthy and cause delays to the assessment of other portfolios. As a result, from July 2014, it has been agreed that SWMIT will implement a resubmission fee of 100 for any portfolio that requires extensive remarking. It is recognized that there will be the need to return the occasional piece of evidence for additions or amendments and we will continue to do so with no charge. Educational Supervisors and Chief Pharmacists will be notified by when a resubmission fee will be incurred. All the scheme handbooks contain full guidance on what should be contained in the portfolios. Please ensure you refer to these to help you get it right first time. Opportunities to present SWMIT are always keen to give people the opportunity to develop. If you are looking to develop your teaching/presentation skills and feel you have experience in any of the areas our schemes provide training and assessment in, please get in touch. There may be a chance for you to share your experience and present a session on one of our scheme induction courses! Mentor Day SWMIT have not run a mentor training day for some time as the reduction in SWMIT team numbers made delivering the old scheme workshop format impossible. We are however in the process of reviewing the objectives of this study day and considering how best to deliver this in the near future. We have also been exploring the possibility of developing a SWMIT Educational Supervisor Training Programme which would provide some of the training around the specifics of the schemes that were historically delivered on the mentor day. We will keep you updated with any progress in this area.

6 Upcoming Events. Dates of Medicines Management Courses and Assessments 2014/15 Dates of ACPT/PIPC Induction Courses 2014 Product Approval Courses and Assessments 2014 Induction Courses 24 th /25 th July th /30 th October th /29 th January 2105 Induction Courses 11 th June th September th December 2014 Induction Courses 1 st /2 nd October 2014 Assessments 30 th July th October th January 2015 ACPT Assessments 3 rd June th September th December 2014 Assessments 22 nd July th September th November 2014 NB: Candidates will only be accepted onto a course once a valid online application form has been received at SWMIT. Applications should be made at least four weeks before the course date. There will be a charge for cancellation of places after the four week closing date. Cancellations must be made in writing. Booking of bedrooms outside the usual course night (i.e. the night before or the night after a course) must be made directly with the conference centre. Corporate rates are available. South West Pharmacy Accreditations Lead Ellen Williams South West Medicines Information and Training Bristol Royal Infirmary Marlborough Street Bristol BS2 8HW Ellen.williams@nhs.net Tel: Fax: For information about NVQ Level 2 & 3 Pharmacy Services & Assessor Awards Karen Nash South West NVQ Coordinator Karennash@nhs.net Tel: Pre-Registration Trainee Pharmacists Helen Badham Education & Training Pharmacist Helen.Badham@uhbristol.nhs.uk Tel: Director of South West Pharmacy Training Trevor Beswick Trevor.Beswick@uhbristol.nhs.uk