Health Minister, Vaughan Gething, has announced a new campaign to attract more pharmacists to Wales and an extra £3.6m to train more in Wales.
This was published under the 2016 to 2021 administration of the Welsh Government
With pharmacists playing an increasingly important role in the delivery of healthcare, the Welsh Government is taking action to ensure Wales has a sustainable, appropriately trained workforce of pharmacists.
A new Welsh Government campaign, launched today promotes Wales as a ‘top choice’ location for pharmacists to Train, Work and Live.
Alongside this, Mr Gething has announced an extra £3.6m in 2020/21 to transform the way pharmacists are trained in Wales. The money, rising to an additional £4.9m by 2023/24, will almost double the number of training places from around 100 each year now to 200 by August 2023.
In a UK first, all trainees will be employed and trained by the NHS regardless of whether they complete the majority of their training in a community pharmacy, a hospital or a GP practice.
Mr Gething said:
“Pharmacists play an increasingly important role in the delivery of health care in Wales. We have made great strides in Wales with pharmacists providing advice and treatment, reducing the burden on our GPs.
As demand for their clinical skills increase we must ensure we are able to a train sufficient number of pharmacists to meet the needs of the NHS in Wales in all sectors of pharmacy practice. This is new unique and distinctive approach to training will meet the growing expectations of UK pharmacy graduates and the long term needs of the NHS in Wales.
Together with our new marketing campaign, this investment sends a clear signal that Wales is a great place for pharmacists to train work and live.”
Also launched today the UK-wide Train, Work, Live, campaign will focus on pharmacy students who are currently deciding where to undertake their pre-registration training.
The campaign highlights the benefits of training in Wales, which receives high levels of satisfaction from trainees. The UKs first wholly multi-sector training programme for pharmacists provides trainees with experience across hospital, general practice and community sectors. The campaign will also promote the breadth of pharmacy roles available for them to continue their careers in Wales.
Andrew Evans, Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for Wales, said:
“We want trainees to know that Wales is a fabulous place to do their training with consistently high pass rates in the pre-registration examination and we want to attract the highest calibre of pharmacy graduates. Pharmacists who choose to come to Wales, can benefit from a well-integrated healthcare system, facilitating knowledge sharing and innovation across a wide range of settings, allowing us to give our patients the best care possible.
“Healthcare professionals in Wales also benefit from a great work-life balance, continuous professional support, affordable housing and lots of choice for their leisure time. And our new training programme will ensure that pharmacists have the appropriate skills both to deliver clinical services and to work flexibly between hospitals, GP practices, community pharmacies and other settings where pharmacy professionals can improve the safety and quality of medicines use.”
Suzanne Scott-Thomas, Chair of the Welsh Pharmacy Board, said:
"We welcome the Welsh Government's commitment to invest further in the training of pharmacists for the future of healthcare in Wales. Increasing the number of training places and transforming the training of trainee pharmacists prior to registration is a very positive step forward for the NHS and patients in Wales.
More pharmacists are now needed to meet the increasing demand from patients and to realise the aspirations of multi-professional approaches to care delivery. The multi-sector training will underpin and support seamless pharmaceutical care for patients in Wales.
Today's announcement will put us on an exciting course of action to attract more pharmacists to train and work in Wales and to ensure a sound foundation for pharmacists through multi-sector experience across the NHS."