Royal Pharmaceutical Society
Preregistration pharmacist training in Wales is being transformed into an integrated community and hospital scheme, health secretary Vaughan Gething announced on 20 February 2017.
“A new approach to pharmacy training and education will be taken forward building on a pilot to bring together the hospital and community based programmes into one integrated preregistration programme,” the cabinet secretary for health, well-being and sport said.
The decision — which follows the success of an integrated training pilot, Gething said — reflects the priorities of NHS Wales’ Modernising Pharmacy Careers in Wales programme, which includes the creation of a single recruitment process for preregistration pharmacists who will also undergo a single core training programme.
A spokesperson for the Welsh government says: “This is a development which is being taken forward with the pharmacy community and an approach which is supported by the Modernising Pharmacy Careers Wales programme board. Discussions are continuing about the final details of the programme.”
Gething’s comments came as he announced £95m in investment to support a range of education and training programmes for healthcare professionals in Wales.
The announcement also comes three months after the establishment of Health Education Wales was announced — the body which from April 2017 will be responsible for strategic workforce planning, workforce design and education commissioning for the NHS in Wales.
Health Education Wales will be expected to deliver a national coordinated approach to workforce education and training that meets the different geographical needs of Wales.
