The BPSA has been actively engaging with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) regarding reforms to the initial training and education of pharmacists. Following the ‘Reforms to initial education and training' webinar and Q & A, a range of questions surrounding topics such as the purpose of the reform were answered by Mark Voce (GPhC), Caroline Souter (RPS), and Chris Langley (Professor at Aston University). The various areas covered as well as clarity on topics of interest are detailed below.

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Timescales

The GPhC will produce a more detailed transition and implementation plan so that current and future students can see precisely how the changes will affect them. The first changes will be seen for those starting year 5 (pre-registration year) in July 2021 which will become the Foundation training year. The universities will review their courses in light of the new standards and changes to the curricula for years 1-4 will happen over the next few years. Students should expect to continue using Oriel in much the same way.

Purpose of the reforms; skills and knowledge; role of universities

With regards to the major changes being proposed in the skillset of those who graduate from the reformed first year to foundation year, the key focus is understood to be gearing training towards the projected future of a pharmacist role. The reforms are designed to ensure that the professional knowledge, skills, and behaviours in the five years of initial education and training meet the requirements of pharmacy practice in the future. This includes the increasing roles for pharmacists in different sectors such as hospital, community, GP practices and care homes. They are also designed to equip people to work collaboratively as part of multi-professional healthcare teams as these increase, as we have seen recently during the pandemic. The reforms reflect the increasing importance of pharmacists engaging directly with patients with greater emphasis on communication and consultation skills, while maintaining the importance and underlying emphasis on science. Pharmacists’ expertise in medicines has been an important factor in the success of multiprofessional healthcare teams and the reforms are designed to develop this expertise further.  

What involvement will Schools of Pharmacy have in the training and sign off of a Foundation Pharmacist?

The Foundation training year will involve collaborative working between the organisations with specific responsibilities for the education, development, and training of the pharmacy workforce (Health Education England, Health Education and Improvement Wales and NHS Education for Scotland), employers and higher education institutions. This will involve the GPhC being responsible for overall quality assurance, the statutory education bodies being responsible for quality management and employers being responsible for day-to-day quality control. We envisage schools of pharmacy having a particular role in relation to the independent prescribing element of the Foundation training year and we are continuing to work through the precise roles and responsibilities before finalising the new standards.

How will prescribing training during education align with patient safety? How can competence be developed during our initial education and training?

Independent prescribing will become an integral part of the five years of initial education and training (IET). The learning outcomes to be achieved will equip students and trainees with the necessary skills, including evidence-based decision making, the risks and benefits of prescribing, clinical and diagnostic skills, and appropriate referral. The IET outcomes will be aligned to the current outcomes for training pharmacist independent prescribers, which focus on developing safe and effective prescribers. For practical learning, there will be appropriate support and supervision (similar to the current requirements for a designated prescribing practitioner).

 Will universities be expected to fund practice- based learning and placements, and would funding changes impact students’ placement experience?

There will be a greater focus throughout the MPharm degree on applying scientific learning in practice through a combination of practice-based learning, simulation, and online methods.  Universities will be encouraged to identify the most effective ways to achieve this based on the overall availability of funding.

Given developments in technology and recent learning from the pandemic, the new standards will include greater emphasis on engaging remotely with patients. We would expect these developments to become a more typical part of work in the future.

How will the profession ensure that the MPharm remains a competitive qualification that opens doors internationally, including in academia and industry?

The initial education and training will continue to provide the necessary skills for pharmacists seeking to work in different sectors, including academia and industry. The universities are committed to ensuring that the MPharm degree with its scientific core will enable graduates to work within a variety of healthcare, and wider, roles including industry and academia.

Support for students and registrants

As now, there will be particular requirements in the standards to ensure students are supported throughout their degree, including induction, effective supervision and general welfare. Pharmacy is not a static subject and Schools of Pharmacy undergo continual curriculum development, thus these changes are a further refinement of current activity. For the Foundation training year, the standards will set out the required necessary support and supervision, including the necessary clinical supervision. The RPS will continue to provide a variety of support materials including the BNF, BNFC, MEP, and access to the Pharmaceutical Journal, e-library, support team, mentoring platform, e-portfolio, podcasts, and assessment support. The RPS has lots of resources to support clinical, pharmaceutical care, pharmacy practice and personal / professional development, and when the new IET standards are published, will consider if any new resources would be helpful to support learning and development.

Will graduate pharmacists be given support with IP training as students undertaking the new IE&T will be receiving dedicated training on this?

It’s very important that current registrants and those who graduate before these reforms are implemented in full receive the necessary support and information to become independent prescribers if they wish to do so.  Current university courses, accredited by the GPhC, will remain in place for those wishing to do so. The RPS national curriculum for newly qualified pharmacists will be published in 2021 and has been designed to support the transition to independent prescribing for pharmacy graduates who are not part of the new IET.

Miscellaneous

What is happening with the pharmacy apprenticeships consultation?

We understand that a Trailblazer group of employers is currently working on a proposal to develop an apprenticeship standard.  This would then go through the usual approval process designed by the Institute for Apprenticeships (IfA) and would reflect the need for this to include a degree. The GPhC has previously advised the IfA of the regulatory requirements that would need to be met should an apprenticeship be taken forward.

Are there plans for qualified pharmacists to transition to medicine after some experience?

While it will be possible for any individual to contemplate a move into medicine, that is not the aim of the reforms. The aim of these changes is to ensure that pharmacists have the necessary skills and knowledge to fulfil the various roles across different sectors. With a parallel focus on developing post-registration education and training, we expect to see pharmacists moving along a career path through to advanced and consultant practice. The reforms focus on the specific expertise that pharmacists have which will play an important part in multi-professional teams in the future.  

Do you foresee any potential barriers to international students’ employment compared to home students following these changes?

We do not see the changes affecting international students’ access to employment.