This is the first time HEE will be offering this kind of support to trainee pharmacists, a spokesperson for the organisation told C+D this week (October 24).

"These professional support services have been available to medical practitioners for a number of years and are now open to pharmacy as well," they explained.

The organisation is currently seeking bids to fund exam support for trainee pharmacists in the east of England, as well as doctors and dentists in training.

It will award a contract worth up to £54,000. This will run for one year, between December 12 2022 and December 11 2023.

HEE might choose to extend it "by up to a further two years subject to annual review and available budget", it wrote.

Providers have until midday on November 3 to submit their tenders.

HEE has teamed up with the multi professional school in the east of England to offer the support.

It works "very closely" with the school to share "resources and opportunities where appropriate", the HEE spokesperson said.

 

Eligibility criteria

 

Pharmacists who have an HEE training number will be eligible to apply for exam support, the spokesperson told C+D.

The exam support will be offered through the east of England’s Professional Support and Well-being Service (PSW) and will be suitable for trainee pharmacists whose exam performance has been impeded by "personal, training or work-related" issues.

From December, trainees will be able to self-refer to the PSW for the exam support, or have an educator refer them.

"Upon receipt of the referral form, PSW will triage the individual case and decide on what support would be beneficial to the individual," HEE wrote.

It might make "an onward referral for individual exam support or attendance at an exam support workshop", HEE added.

The provider will then have 24 hours to acknowledge the referral, after which they must call or virtually meet the trainee to "understand their specific needs" within five working days.

 

Exam support demand hard to predict

 

As the support programme for pharmacists is "completely new" and no pharmacy referrals have yet been submitted, "it is hard to know what demand we will have on our exam support from pharmacy trainees", the HEE spokesperson told C+D.

"We will be able to share further insight once we have more data on file," they added.