Day Lewis has partnered with East London NHS Foundation Trust to create a pre-reg programme that will enable students to split their training equally between primary and secondary care settings.

The GPhC-approved programme will focus on mental health care and require participants to spend six months in a Day Lewis pharmacy and six with the foundation trust, including two weeks at Barts and the London NHS Trust.

The programme's organisers said the scheme would enable students to "bridge the gap" between primary and secondary care, leaving them the option to pursue a career in either sector.

The scheme aims to give pre-reg pharmacists a grounding in both primary and secondary care

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Day Lewis' pre-reg programme manager Luvjit Kandula said this experience would equip students well for the changing NHS. "Pharmacists who work in this placement will be able to bridge the gap between primary and secondary care, which is really where the future of pharmacy is going and what is missing from the skill set," she told C+D. "We hope to recruit exceptional pre-reg pharmacists who will make a real difference to care."

The comments were echoed by East London NHS Foundation Trust, which explained that students would be able to work on rotations in mental health care of the elderly, children and adolescents, as well as in acute, perinatal and forensics settings.

"The students will rotate through the different mental health specialties to get a taste of everything and an appreciation of how pharmacy can help different patient groups," said Zahra Khaki, senior pharmacist in education and training, recovery and community at the foundation trust.

"I think it's really important that hospital pharmacists have an appreciation of what community pharmacists do and vice-versa," Ms Khaki added. "I think [this programme] will help create collaboration between the two sectors and that's especially key in mental health."

The programme will take on a maximum of two pre-reg students and applications can be made at pharmalife.co.uk. Students must give the name and contact details of their academic referee by June 30, while the deadline for full hospital applications is August 31.