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Nationally and internationally, the terms “interprofessional learning” (IPL) and “collaborative working” are prominent in health care politics (General Medical Council, 2002; World Health Organization, 1988). Drivers towards more interprofessional care include the Bristol Paediatric Deaths and Victoria Climbie inquiries which highlighted the need for IPL to improve collaborative working so that best health care is provided and risks of system failures are minimized (Department of Health, 2008; Laming, 2003).

In Scotland, IPL happens through National Health Service (NHS) funded protected learning time (PLT) initiatives for primary care teams. The NHS Boards provide alternative medical services so General Practice (GP) practices can close for a half day monthly allowing health care and administrative staff to undertake educational activities. The Health Boards organize PLT initiatives which range from regional to smaller GP practice-based events. However, there are no best practice guidelines for their design. Therefore, the researchers were keen to establish key principles to guide organizations with responsibility for IPL programmes. This study aimed to describe methods used in planning and delivering IPL within PLT and how IPL is perceived by different groups of participants and organizers. Based on these findings and current literature, the researchers then aimed to develop operating principles for IPL events.

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