National Centre for Remote and Rural Health and Care: Information Hub

The Dispensing GP Practices Education Programme Evaluation aims to evaluate an outline training package that is being designed by NHS Education for Scotland (NES) for general practices operating dispensing practices in remote, rural and Island (RRI) areas. This evaluation will determine whether the educational objectives were met, identify areas for improvement, and ensure that the programme enhances the skills and knowledge of remote, rural and Island general practice teams which will ultimately improve workforce development.  

The objectives are:  

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the Dispensing GP Practices Education programme. 
• To measure the improvement in knowledge and skills of dispensing teams following the training. 
• To gather feedback from participants to inform future iterations of the programme. 
• To ensure that the training aligns with regulatory standards and best practices.  

Evaluating the dispensing GP practices education programme is fundamental to ensure that it meets its goals. The findings from the evaluation will guide future curriculum development, and programme enhancements, ensuring continuous improvement.

Project description: Who and How

The evaluation involves a range of stakeholders, dispensing team members, practice managers, trainers, National Centre Education and Training team and regulatory bodies interested in ensuring compliance with standards and best practices. It relies on determining the most important theoretical frameworks for workforce development and the training requirements for dispensing teams using realist principles. A mixed methods approach, i.e., quantitative and qualitative methods to capture the complexity of the programme dynamics and identify how specific contexts initiate mechanisms and leads to outcomes will be explored.  

Expected outcome:  When and What Difference