Exploring the use of the NHS Scotland Pharmacy First Plus service
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring the use of NHS Scotland Pharmacy First Plus for integration of pharmacist independent prescribing for common clinical conditions within community pharmacy in NHS Grampian: a qualitative case study based approach.
IRAS ID
335600
Contact name
Laura Karim
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Robert Gordon University
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
None, None
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 9 months, 4 days
Research summary
Since 2006, regulations to allow pharmacists to prescribe independently came into effect. Evidence to support having an Independent Prescribing (IP) Pharmacist in the community pharmacy setting is currently limited. In November 2020, NHS Scotland launched a new service – Pharmacy First Plus (PFP)- whereby pharmacist independent prescribers (IPs) working in community pharmacies can offer advice and treatment to their patients for common clinical conditions. As this is a new initiative, there are no published research findings around the service. By conducting research in this area, it will help build capacity in community pharmacy, by demonstrating the potential contribution of IPs in the provision of quality care to their patients.
The first phase of the research was a scoping literature review of the available evidence of pharmacist prescribing within the community pharmacy setting. The next phase used an online survey of pharmacists offering the Pharmacy First Plus service followed by interviews and focus groups with volunteers from among participants in the survey. Submission to IRAS was not required for the first phase, an was confirmed by NoSRES (North of Scotland Research Ethics Service).
This research will be the final phase of the work which will use a case study method focusing on between five and eight community pharmacies offering the Pharmacy First Plus service across the NHS Grampian Health Board geographical area. Building on the results of the first two phases, the aim will be to explore in greater detail the operational, teamworking and process aspects of the service.
REC name
East Midlands - Derby Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/EM/0070
Date of REC Opinion
25 Mar 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion