University of Nottingham proposes 11 job cuts at its school of pharmacy

The University of Nottingham is looking to make 11 redundancies among its academic staff within its school of pharmacy, as part of its cost-cutting ‘Future Nottingham’ strategy.

In addition, five currently vacant roles may also be relinquished, Nick Clare, branch secretary at the University and College Union told The Pharmaceutical Journal on 27 May 2026.

“We are worried about the impact this will have on both staff and students, reducing the capacity for research, teaching, as well as pastoral care for students,” he added.

A University and College Union member also told The Pharmaceutical Journal on 27 May 2026 that the cuts to staffing coincide with a planned increase in student numbers on the MPharm course from 220 to 250 per year, from 2026/2027 entry.

However, owing to academic roles being cut across both the school of pharmacy and other departments that deliver teaching to MPharm students, they suggested course leaders would have to consider how the curriculum could still be delivered with new staff-to-student ratios.

The University and College Union member also expressed concerns that if this could not be sufficiently mitigated, this might affect future course accreditation by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).

In a statement made to the The Pharmaceutical Journal on 27 May 2026, a spokesperson for the GPhC said that the regulator did not set student–staff ratios for MPharm courses but would be following up the concerns with the head of pharmacy school at the University of Nottingham.

In May 2026, a report published by the University and College Union said restructuring efforts across the University of Nottingham are aimed to save between £36m and £67.5m annually by 2029/2030, primarily through staff reductions, including voluntary and potentially compulsory redundancies, programme closures and rising student–staff ratios.

Around 600 academic jobs are at risk across the whole university, Clare said.

A spokesperson for the University of Nottingham commented: “It is important to stress that the proposals … are currently subject to ongoing and meaningful consultation with the unions and during this time we will continue to work closely with GPhC. Nothing will be finalised or implemented until a final business case is approved by council in the autumn [2026].”