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17.10.14

Press release – Pharmacy Schools Council responds to Rt Hon Greg Clark’s letter on student number controls in pharmacy

The Pharmacy School Council welcomes the letter from the Rt. Hon. Greg Clark confirming number controls will not be applied to the MPharm.

It is imperative that the contribution of the profession to healthcare is recognised and that there is scope to consider the role of pharmacists in the future. The MPharm is rooted in robust science, and pharmacists are the experts in medicines. Being both a healthcare professional and a scientist is what makes the position of a pharmacist unique.

Professor Yvonne Perrie, Chair of the Pharmacy Schools Council, said:

‘Medicine is advancing at a spectacular rate and the skills-set developed by pharmacists can be applied in a vast number of settings, from medicine design and manufacture to academia and pharmaceutical industry.

‘Now is the time for the sector as a whole to come together and work to ensure that the unique position and contribution of pharmacists are recognised. Part of this will involve working to develop career paths suited for pharmacists’ considerable skill-sets.

‘The Pharmacy Schools Council looks forward to working with Health Education England to progress reforms to pharmacy education and training.’

As experts on pharmacy education, the Pharmacy Schools Council is working with key stakeholders across the pharmacy sector to develop a vision of what the role of the pharmacist will be in future, building on the work already undertaken as part of Modernising Pharmacy Careers. This will also consider the development and progression of pharmacy education in future.

-ENDS-

Notes

  1. The Pharmacy Schools Council (PhSC) represents the collective interests of UK schools of pharmacy. It provides a source of expert opinion and advice on matters concerning pharmacy education from the perspective of UK schools. For more information, please visit www.pharmacyschoolscouncil.ac.uk.
  2. The response from HEE-HEFCE follows a consultation on the potential management of the number of students in England, studying for an MPharm, the qualification required to enter into pre-registration training. Information relating to the consultation can be found on the HEE website.
  3. For matters concerning this press release, or the activities of the PhSC more broadly, please contact Edward Knight, Communications and Website Officer, at edward.knight@medschools.ac.uk, or call on 020 7419 5427.