Duncan Rudkin, Chief Executive of the GPhC said:
“At our Council meeting yesterday, our Council members noted the emerging findings from our recent consultation on the initial education and training of pharmacists and they agreed the next steps for taking this work forward. Our proposals seek to ensure that pharmacists of the future are fully equipped for the roles they will need to take on to deliver safe, high quality service to patients and the public.
“The initial consultation findings showed broad support from respondents for the principles of closer integration between academic study and practical experience and having one set of standards that cover the full period of education and training before initial registration as a pharmacist.
“We value the constructive discussions we continue to have with the Pharmacy Schools Council and other stakeholders to identify the practical considerations of this work. We will continue this collaborative approach to developing the standards and will be engaging in a further round of discussions in the autumn.
Further information
- The GPhC received over 600 written responses to the consultation on the initial education and training of pharmacists, and held events and meetings across Great Britain to set out the proposals and obtain further feedback.
- A further round of engagement will be taking place in the Autumn and we will be in touch with stakeholders in due course.
- The full consultation analysis will be published at the Council meeting in September and will be accessed on the GPhC’s website from that point.
- You can read the initial report on the education and training standards for pharmacists here.