The provision of an evaluation of the interim Foundation Pharmacist Programme

Health Education England (HEE) have developed the Interim Foundation Pharmacist Programme (IFPP) starting September 2020, in response to the changes in the pre-registration training and registration brought about by covid pandemic. The introduction of the IFPP is a profession-wide cultural and educational intervention in England, which will impact every pharmacy organisation and the pharmacy workforce. There are clear policy drivers for the change and its implementation will be closely scrutinised by all pharmacy stakeholders and NHS leaders. An evaluation of the introduction of an IFPP is crucial to inform future Foundation Pharmacist Programme evolution, to ensure it is an effective programme and that the accumulation of evidence of its impact ensures stakeholder endorsement to encourage acceptance as it becomes business as usual.

This specification calls for a supplier to provide an evaluation of the IFPP, focusing on 3 main areas: 1. Impact Evaluation 1.1 What was the lived experiences of Pharmacists on the IFPP? 2. Process Evaluation 2.1 How was supervision delivered in practice within the IFPP? 2.2 Did Pharmacists on the IFPP receive support during the transition phases?

The methodology of the evaluation is to be designed and carried out by the supplier, but HEE require it to include measuring the impact I. at an appropriate level, e.g. national, regional or organisational. II. comparison of various sectors III. considering equality, diversity and inclusion IV. considering previous pharmacy education and training (university educated and pre-registration training) The supplier will be required to provide regular progress reports to the IFPP Operational and Steering Groups, an interim and final report. From the work HEE expect at least one scientific peer-review article submitted for publication.