We are excited to be receiving our first cohort of undergraduate pharmacy students. This follows extensive preparation by pharmacy and the clinical education team, working in partnership to ensure we provide excellent placements which incorporate the latest guidance from the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).

In January 2021 the GPhC published the revised Standards for the Initial Education and Training of Pharmacists to provide new learning outcomes that span the five year initial training period for Masters and Foundation Year training. These learning outcomes will enable newly-qualified pharmacists to be independent prescribers at the point of registration. By 2026, the aim of the GPhC is for all newly-registered pharmacists to be able to independently prescribe medicines.

The introduction of the learning outcomes has required a shift in the way we provide education to the students who join us at CHFT. One of these changes is the introduction of an increase in placements for undergraduate students. We will host regular placements for pharmacy students from the Universities of Bradford and Huddersfield. Placement duration ranges from one day to two weeks. CHFT will now be hosting students every week from now until March 2025 - a total of 60 students.

The undergraduate course has changed to ensure all students can be prescribers. Students will be trusted to carry out activities such as collating patients' medical histories, involvement in MDT activities and to review prescribed medications, dispensing and checking medication as well as case reviews. This will be done with a suitable level of supervision. This will support students to gain practice-based skills, preparing them for their training year.

Lead Pharmacist for Education and Training, Jennifer Hunter, said: "We haven’t taken undergraduate students on for many years, so this is a new and exciting development for our pharmacy department and will hopefully promote the department as a great place for them to begin their careers.

"By providing an exciting and welcoming placement, we hope that they will apply to undertake their foundation training pharmacist year here with us and then hopefully stay on as a qualified pharmacist and join the team permanently."

We wish them every success in their placements!