CPD Support

Formal position for practicing pharmacists

From 1st March 2009, pharmacists are required to conform with new Professional Standards introduced by RPSGB. Things will probably change again once the new General Pharmaceutical Council takes over regulation, but that is something for the future. The RPSGB CPD recording system was simplified in August 2009 and is significantly easier and quicker to use than previous versions.

In the summer of 2009, RPSGB began to call in CPD records from individual pharmacists, for some form of appraisal. What they want is a selection of entries that have been made, not the entire collection. The choice of entries is up to the individual pharmacist. It is worth noting key words here: there is a distinction between routine entries you regularly make, and the record you may be required to submit when your ‘record’ is ‘called in’. Entries are your property, and can be edited and amended in any appropriate way you wish. You will choose a selection of these to submit as your record. It is expected that in future, the GPhC will continue this process.

A number of FAQs, with answers have been prepared and were published in the Pharmaceutical Journal on 28th March 2009 p351, and the formal position was summarized in the PJ on 21st February 2009 p179. An online version of the PJ can be accessed, after registering using your register number. Details can also be found via the RPSGB website, but may not be easy to find.

Pharmacists are currently required to make regular entries using a recording system acceptable to RPSGB – either on paper, on a PC or electronically (in future, the GPhC may be more flexible on the format for routine entries, but not for the record called in). Many people use the RPSGB electronic system but RPSGB as we know it is expected to cease to exist during 2010. The future repository of the data in the electronic system has not yet been clarified, and although the data is the property of the individual pharmacist who entered it into the system, there are still uncertainties here. There remain advantages in using records on your own PC or paper records, despite all the encouragement to the contrary.

NAWP and CPD

NAWP has a long tradition of encouraging CPD, and has been running weekend conferences and circulating educational/training information for many years. Currently:

We hold weekend annual conference which can provide CPD in a relaxed informal atmosphere
Circulate three newsletters per year with educational, training and professional content
Offer the chance to attend English-language European women pharmacist meetings with educational, training and professional content
Hold occasional study days
Offer the chance to be involved in professional projects in some areas

As the future regulation of the profession becomes clearer, and arrangements for monitoring CPD become known, NAWP will respond with a view to providing the maximum possible support to members. Current thinking is that the new professional body (i.e. RPSGB after the split with GPhC) will try to offer CPD support through the proposed Local Practice Forums.