‘I thought it would be a very clearly defined role and actually it wasn’t’: a qualitative study of transition training for pharmacists moving into general practice settings in Wales

OBJECTIVE: Pharmacists are increasingly contributing to the skill mix of general practice surgeries to help alleviate pressures faced by UK doctors working in primary care. However, they need support in overcoming barriers to their integration. The purpose of this work was to evaluate a programme designed to support pharmacists’ transition to working in general practice settings. We explored the learning needs of pharmacists’, the barriers and enablers to their integration and provide recommendations based on our results. INTERVENTION: A qualitative evaluation of a 1-year transition programme in Wales starting in September 2018 to support pharmacists’ transition to working in general practice settings. DESIGN AND SETTING: We employed an interpretative phenomenological approach involving 10 pharmacists across Wales enrolled on the transition to general practice training programme, and their tutors. Data were collected across two sequential phases: in phase 1 telephone interviews were held with pharmacists midway through their training; in phase 2, focus groups were conducted with both pharmacists and tutors towards the end of the programme. RESULTS: Pharmacists enter general practice settings with a variety of prior experience. The programme provided a framework that pharmacists found helpful to map their experience to but the programme needed to be flexible to individual learning needs. The tutor role was typically regarded as the most valuable component, but interaction with the wider general practice team was critical to ease the transition. Pharmacists encountered a lack of clarity about their role which impeded their integration into the workplace team. CONCLUSIONS: A formal programme with a designated tutor can support pharmacists’ transition into general practice settings. The programme’s competency framework facilitated reciprocal understanding of the pharmacist’s role in the team, helped to manage expectations and enhanced collaborative practice. Recommendations to facilitate pharmacist integration into general practice settings are provided.