The sector is cautious about making prescribing part of the pharmacy degree, the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has found.

“Many” of the 134 respondents to a GPhC consultation, which ran from June 16 to August 15, said they agreed “in principle” with its proposals to make prescribing a "core skill" in pharmacy education, the GPhC said. 

But these respondents had "reservations about how students and trainees could get sufficient practical experience prior to registration”, the regulator said in a report published on Tuesday (November 10).

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) used its response to point out that – although encouraging pharmacists to become prescribers would “enhance [their] role” – it would be “challenging” to fit the necessary training into “an already packed curriculum”, the GPhC noted.

The two largest multiples were more outspoken in their objections to the prescribing proposals, the regulator said. Lloydspharmacy owner Celesio UK used its response to argue that it is “too ambitious to include this in an undergraduate degree course, when students will not have experience of working in practice”, the GPhC said.

Walgreens Boots Alliance branded it “questionable” to “devote much time and funding” to prescriber training unless there is an “explicit expectation” that the government will finance more prescribing roles, the GPhC reported.

Focus on leadership skills

“Most” respondents to the consultation also wanted management and leadership skills to be further developed in pharmacy education because “the majority of pharmacists will be working in the community setting, running a business and managing a pharmacy team”, it said.

Many identified lack of funding as a “major barrier” to changing pharmacy education, especially a shortfall of money needed to support extra clinical placements, the regulator said.

“We also heard that implementing higher standards could increase salaries for all members of the pharmacy team. Respondents questioned where this money would come from,” it said.

The regulator will use the responses to help redraft its standards for the initial training and education of the pharmacy teams, it said. It will consult on the revised standards before they are published, the GPhC added.

How could training students to become prescribers benefit the sector?

We want to hear your views, but please express them in the spirit of a constructive, professional debate. For more information about what this means, please click here to see our community principles and information