Peer discussions will be part of the revalidation process next year. The aim is to encourage individuals to reflect with another individual (peer) on their learning and current practice. Research has shown that another person sharing their views can help pharmacy professionals reduce their professional isolation in addition to reflecting on their practice and the way they work.

The peer discussion process may vary in duration due to the time taken to arrange, prepare, undertake and follow up on the discussion. It is not the discussion itself that can take the time, typically this will last an hour. 

There are various ways to have a peer discussion, such as a discussion in person with the selected peer, as part of a group, over the telephone or through video calls, web chat or another form of real-time communication.

In most cases the peer will be a fellow pharmacy professional, but effective peers can be from a health or social care background or, equally, from a totally different background and not health-related. Examples include pharmacy colleagues, GPs, nurses, expert patients, colleagues from other disciplines (not just pharmacy) or a group of peers who have similar roles. Employers must not allocate peers, but can support someone to find a suitable peer. 

When registration is renewed, the following information must be provided to meet the criteria for recording the peer discussion: 

• Name, contact details and the role of the peer or, where a group peer discussion occurred, just one name of a person from the group
• Why the peer was chosen
• How the peer discussion changed the practice for the benefit of the people using the service and helped reflect on current practice and how improvements to practice could be made
• Real examples of how the people using the service have had beneficial outcomes following the improvements to practice
• Non-confidential feedback from others in relation to the practice, if appropriate and available.