Preparing MPharm graduates for practice: integrating understanding of community pharmacy, mental health and digital health

UK pharmacist roles have transformed significantly, with contributions to clinical decision-making, medicines optimisation and preventative health being increasingly recognised. Pharmacy graduates, however, may not possess all the skills, confidence and real-world experience to satisfy NHS demands. Insufficient preparedness could cause service delivery errors, increased supervision burdens on experienced staff and patient safety risks.

Transitioning from pharmacy education to practice is complex, given the frequent disconnect between theoretical learning and real-world application. Clinical upskilling through integrating prescribing into the MPharm has made holistic patient management more important. Current evidence highlights community pharmacy acumen, mental health literacy and digital education as areas for curricular reform to support practice readiness.

Preparation for community pharmacy 

Community pharmacy funding increased by 19.7% for 2025/2026, highlighting community pharmacists’ critical role in population health^​1​. Newly qualified community pharmacists are typically the sole pharmacist, managing a team and assuming accountability immediately after registration. MPharm curricular changes can ease the transition to practice.

In one study (n=857), 78% of MPharm students believed community placements facilitated valuable learning^​2​. However, 62% experienced limited patient contact owing to focusing on pre-assigned placement tasks — with 77% of respondents reporting minimal “hands-on” experiences. Though specific placement tasks can provide helpful structure and guidance, previous studies confirm that overly task-focused placements can distract students from real-world clinical engagement^​3–5​. 

Improving community pharmacy skills development would give students greater insight into real-world practice, enhancing understanding and confidence.

Mental health literacy 

Mental health pharmacy services are lacking^​6,7​. In 2018, however, a Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) report highlighted the importance of pharmacy in supporting mental health^​8​. The ‘NHS mental health implementation plan’ was subsequently published^​9​. In 2020, Health Education England (HEE) issued mental health competencies for all pharmacists^​10​. Depression is scheduled for inclusion in the new medicine service from October 2025^​1​.

In a 2021 study, 75% of students did not think the MPharm integrated mental health learning^​11​ — corroborated by a 2025 study^​12​. Though 56.2% felt confident providing mental health support, only one-third believed the MPharm provided sufficient preparation^​11​. In another study, less than half of MPharm students felt confident and competent to provide support for more severe mental illnesses, including bipolar disorder and schizophrenia^​13​.

More than three-quarters of students (80.6%) were taught neuropharmacology — indicating prioritisation of theoretical knowledge over problem-solving and communication^​11​. A prior study confirmed little exposure to people with lived experience^​14​.

Pharmacists are often the first professionals people approach with mental health concerns^​15​. Undergraduate mental health education requires improvement to enhance practice readiness.

Digital health education 

The ‘NHS long-term plan’, RPS and HEE emphasise digital literacy’s role in supporting workflow digitisation^​16,17​. Yet, the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) reported that many pharmacy schools lack digital health education^​18​. With 61% of pharmacists using digital tools daily, digital literacy is vital for informed decision-making^​18​.

Pharmacy schools’ digital health education is under-reported. In the FIP survey, 52% of faculty felt their schools taught digital health skills; 57% reported no such teaching. Only 10% of students received digital health education. In another study (n=119), few pharmacy students felt confident finding (44%) or using (26%) medical apps^​19​.

Many students wanted to improve their digital health knowledge^​18​. Recipients of digital health education were 2.5 times more likely to continue their learning^​18​.

Most UK pharmacy schools use MyDispense, a dispensing simulator with some EPR features but no prescribing focus^​20​. SCRIPT, a national eLearning programme on safe prescribing, is comprehensive and freely available, but purely theoretical^​21​. These gaps highlight opportunities for virtual prescribing in pharmacy education.

UK pharmacy schools have developed a digital community of practice and have an indicative curriculum for digital health in progress^​17,22​. Strengthening digital health education will prepare graduates for a digitally evolving NHS.

Counter arguments

Community pharmacy does not interest all students, calling into question the relevance of the sector-specific interventions in the Table^{​2,11,17,23–41​}. Improving preparedness for community practice, however, may increase interest — and skills developed through interventions are transferable to other sectors of practice.

Teaching time may limit intervention feasibility. Existing sessions should be adapted to address the practice areas in the Table and durations reviewed to accommodate new learning.

NHS sandbox environments are not designed for students, potentially affecting eligibility for access^​42​. SimEPR’s cost may limit use^​35​. MPharm prescribing competency requirements, and imperative to keep up with digitalisation, however, may help overcome access barriers. Excel simulators, while time-consuming to develop, provide a cost-effective alternative^​36​.

Hackathons face logistical challenges including room hire, student capacity, and staff availability. Singular year group attendance or multiple smaller sessions may help. The FIP study on digital health education reported only 6% of pharmacy schools using hackathons, suggesting underutilisation^​37​.

Call to action 

The MPharm should develop individual confidence and competence, and interdisciplinary teamwork, in patient care and clinical workflows.

Conclusion 

Experiential curricular reform which progressively integrates leadership, mental health and digital skills education can improve the practice readiness of UK pharmacy graduates. This will allow future delivery of transformative patient-centred care to meet evolving NHS priorities.