HEE, HEIW, NES Guidance – Facilitating the deployment of MPharm students

HEE continue to work with their stakeholders to support pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and the wider student, trainee and apprenticeship community respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the NHS mobilises to support increasing numbers of patients suffering with symptoms of COVID-19, HEE are working closely with partners to support pharmacy workforce planning, education and training. They are pleased to share new guidance, which aims to facilitate the safe and effective deployment of undergraduate pharmacy students.

New Joint Guidance: Facilitating deployment of pharmacy undergraduate students to support the pharmacy workforce has been issued that defines guiding principles for how employers might support safe and effective deployment of pharmacy students within pharmacy settings, during the emergency period. Current advice is that students only deploy in a way/at a time that will not interrupt their amended schedule of assessment.

This guidance can be accessed via HEE’s new Coronavirus (COVID-19) information for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians web page: https://www.hee.nhs.uk/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-covid-19-information-pharmacists-pharmacy-technicians.

Overview of key points: 

  • This guidance is aimed at providing information on how students and employers can support safe and effective deployment of pharmacy students within pharmacy settings, during the emergency period.
  • Health Education England is setting up a central system (HEE Pharmacy Student COVID-19 Deployment Survey) though which students in England wishing to register their interest to be deployed to support the pharmacy workforce can enter their details.
  • This survey will go live early next week, and can be accessed via the undergraduate student guidance section of the new Coronavirus (COVID-19) information for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians web page.
  • Employers in England wishing to receive/place a student should contact their System Pharmacy Leadership Collaborative (via their Regional Chief Pharmacist) to register their interest. The details of suitable students will be provided to employers via this route.
  • Information on the equivalent systems for students wishing to support the pharmacy workforce in Wales and Scotland are also included in the guidance.

Up-to-date guidance and information from HEE, NHS England and NHS Improvement and the government is also available on HEE’s coronavirus (COVID-19) web page. This is to help health professionals, HEE staff and the public respond to coronavirus (COVID-19).