Practitioner with a Special Interest
A Practitioner with a Special Interest is a GP or
Pharmacist who:
- Is first and foremost a generalist
- Is able to act without direct
supervision
- Has a level of skill or competence that
exceeds the core competences of the individual’s normal
professional role
- Is accredited to deliver specialist clinical
services directly to patients
From April 2009 General Practitioners
with a Special Interest (GPwSI) in a clinical area will have to be
accredited in line with new competency frameworks, launched by the
Department of Health, RCGP and Royal Pharmaceutical Society on 17
September 2008.
The skills and competences GPs are required to
demonstrate in order to fulfil the GPwSI role vary according to
individual specialty and the nature of the locally commissioned
service, but they will have to be met in order for GPs to continue
to practice as a GPwSI. Practitioners need to be assessed by
either their PCO or Special Health Authority.
The new and updated frameworks are renamed
“Practitioner with the Special Interest” (PwSI) to reflect those
new frameworks which are now applicable to Pharmacists (PhwSI), who
are also developing roles in this area. The 2008 Frameworks are in
response to the reorganisation of services in line with “Care
Closer to Home”, and to formalise and develop existing
arrangements.
The frameworks have been developed and badged
jointly across the RCGP, the Department of Health and the Royal
College of Pharmacists. The development has been led by a clinical
lead (either GP or Pharmacist, as appropriate) and they have been
through a rigorous and transparent development process. The
new frameworks are available to download below.
Download the frameworks for GPwSIs and
PhwSIs:
Please click the title of the framework you would like to
view.
GPwSIs only:
WHY FRAMEWORKS ARE
IMPORTANT
|
Collaborative working has produced 16
individual frameworks that:
INFORM
All practitioners need to know the extended
knowledge and skills they will require to provide services as a
PwSI
ASSIST
Commissioners need to identify the specific
competences (Chapter 3) required by their practitioners in order to
meet the specifications of their local services
REMIND
Commissioners and practitioners need to be
aware of the necessary support and infrastructure required for
different PwSI services
ADVISE
Everyone should be aware of the best methods
of acquiring and maintaining the competences required or the
delivery of different PwSI services
|
Development of the
Frameworks
Development of each GPwSI framework was led by
its own GP Clinical lead and group of stakeholders relevant to the
specialty. Stakeholders included patient and professional
organisations with pharmacists and commissioners. Other
stakeholders were sought as necessary, and a total of 200
stakeholders were involved. Each draft framework underwent a
stakeholder consultation, followed by further amendments. The
framework clinical content was signed off for the RCGP by the Chair
of the Clinical Innovation and research Centre and the education
and accreditation aspects by the Professional Development
Board.
Summary of Development
process
|
The ten month process of developing
the frameworks involved:
- Initial literature
search
- First draft developed by Clinical
Lead
- First stage consultation – face to
face, teleconference, virtual
- Second draft
- Second stage virtual
consultation
- Third draft
- Signed off by the:
• RCGP
(Professional Development Board)
• CIRC Chair
• Royal
Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain
|
|
The Consultation process was led by 16
Clinical Leads who involved:
• GPs and GP
• Registrars
• Pharmacists
• Consultants
• Nurses
• RCGP Patient
Partnership Group
• Specialists such
as: Geriatricians, Psychiatrists, Paediatricians, Endoscopists,
• GPwSI
networks
• Genetic
Counsellors etc…
• Other Royal
Colleges: Paediatricians, Psychiatrists,
Physicians,
• Community
Matrons
• Community Liaison
Pharmacist
• GP Educators
• Primary Care
Trusts
• 16 Primary Care
Societies
• Policy
advisors
• Commissioners
• GP advisors
• DH Public Health
Unit
• Clinical
Programme co-ordinators
• Private Providers
e.g. Out of Hours
• Medical
Directors
|
|
Charities / Health Organisations also
involved include:
• Diabetes UK
• MedFASH
• Macmillan Cancer
Support
• BUPA
Foundation
• The Sainsbury
Centre for Mental Health
• Epilepsy
Action
• Asthma UK
• National
Treatment Agency
• Faculty of Sexual
and Reproductive Health
• British
Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH)
• Terrence Higgins
Trust
• London Ambulance
Service
• Association of
British Clinical Diabetologists
• British
Association for Community Child Health (BACCH)
|
circ@rcgp.org.uk
0203 170 8231