CoDEG has previously proposed four levels of practice in pharmacy: a registered pharmacist (MRPharmS); a general pharmacist practitioner (GPP); an advanced pharmacist practitioner (APP); and a consultant pharmacist (CP). Consultant NHS Pharmacists are now in post across England, with these posts being developed using guidelines issues by the Department fo Health, and supported using the ACLF framework.
A strategy to develop registered pharmacists to general level has been implemented by the Joint Programmes Board (JPB). This particular model provides a mechanism for more seamless career development from post-registration to more advanced levels of practice. Practitioners are able to plan and monitor personal development by mapping their CPD and CE activities using the advanced competency framework which allows judgements to be made on an individual's current level of practice and highlights future developmental needs.
For further information on advanced practice and new programmes please access the JPB website.
The Pharmacy Management Framework, in line with the ACLF, draws heavily on NHS documents relating to leadership and management, as well as from outputs from pharmacy leadership groups. It is intended to help pharmacists make the transition from practitioner to hospital chief pharmacist. It includes aspects relating to professional management and leadership, as well as generic service and people management competencies. It also aids the identification of professional development needs towards that goal, whilst valuing the knowledge, skills and abilities that they already possess as practitioners.
Conceptually, the ACLF and pharmacy management framework can be considered as specific presentations drawn from a pool of similarly structured higher-level competencies, grouped into clusters. As the majority of the ACLF content is relevant to both chief pharmacists and advanced practitioners, it means that the core content can be used to support the development of pharmacists aspiring to either role. The similar structure of both frameworks allows for workforce flexibility and facilitates potential changes in career direction between advanced practice and pharmacy management.
An expert panel of specialist critical care pharmacists, senior NHS pharmacists and Department of Health personnel have produced guidance on the practice, skills and experience needed by pharmacists wishing to specialise in the area of adult critical care.
Based on the ACLF developed by CoDEG, the guidance describes the specialist competencies required for critical care pharmacy practice. The document also defines roles and responsibilities within critical care pharmacy and provides a structure for further professional development.
The guidance document is available to download here, and is also on the Department of Health website.
The NHS Pharmacy Education and Development Committee and UKCPA Education and Training Special Interest Group have produced a professional development framework for staff involved in pharmacy education, training and workforce development. The framework is based on the ACLF developed by CoDEG.
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Several documents related to the ACLF are available to download from our RESOURCES page.