Modernising pharmacy careers programme board
Modernising Pharmacy Careers (MPC) is a
complex programme designed to ensure the pharmacy workforce has the
knowledge, skills and capacity to deliver the services of the
future for patients and the public. The scope of the programme
includes career pathways for pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and
dispensing assistants, and it will explore how these arrangements
support and contribute to improvements in quality of care, public
health, and pharmacy workforce planning.
The mechanism for taking this work
forward is through the MPC Programme Board, which provides advice
to Medical Education England (MEE) and the Department of Health
(DH), on pharmacy education, training and national workforce
planning.
The MPC Programme Board is working with
all relevant stakeholders to facilitate and deliver changes to
pharmacy education, training and workforce planning including:
- Enabling the registered pharmacy workforce to acquire the
additional skills needed to deliver a wider range of clinical
services
- Building on current arrangements for advanced pharmacy
practice
- Determining and facilitating changes in the training of key
pharmacy support staff to improve pharmacy skills mix -
making the best use of all those working in pharmacy
The development and implementation of a
new approach to pharmacist undergraduate education and
pre-registration training.
The MPC programme is informed by and
influenced by wider healthcare initiatives and policies
including:
- NHS Constitution
- Leadership and Quality Framework
- Life Sciences Blueprint from Office for Life Science
- DH Professional Standards Work Programme
- New pharmacy regulator
The MPC programme is focussing on
action to deliver its objectives in two major work areas:
Work Stream I –
Education and Training (Pre-Qualification)
Work Stream II – Developing Pharmacy Careers (Post
Qualification)
A third work stream includes
crosscutting projects such as workforce planning, new ways of
working and the use of new technologies.
The first significant project for MPC
was a review of current pharmacist undergraduate education and
pre-registration training to assess its content and continuing
relevance and to identify options for change. MPC submitted
proposals for reform of pharmacist pre-registration education and
training as independent advice to the Secretary of State for Health
in June 2011. Officials from the Department of Health (DH) and
Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) are currently establishing the
affordability of the MPC proposals and considering the
sustainability of any future funding framework and their findings
are expected early next year.
MPC is also carrying out a review to
find out how the careers of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians
develop once they have registered. It will also consider if
existing training provision and structures for pharmacy
professionals could be improved so that patients, the public and
the NHS can benefit more completely from the unique contribution
that the pharmacy workforce makes to health, well being, patient
safety and public health. Its findings are expected to be shared
with stakeholders in early 2012.
Further information is available by
emailing MPCProgramme@dh.gsi.gov.uk or
please see our
frequently asked questions
Programme board membership
Programme board meeting dates