Reaccreditation of a Master of Pharmacy degree course (MPharm) Aston University

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1 Reaccreditation of a Master of Pharmacy degree course (MPharm) Aston University Report of a reaccreditation event, March 2013 Introduction The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) is the statutory regulator for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians and is the accrediting body for pharmacy education in Great Britain. The GPhC is responsible for setting standards and approving education and training courses which form part of the pathway towards registration for pharmacists. The UK qualification required as part of the pathway to registration as a pharmacist is a GPhC accredited Master of Pharmacy degree course (MPharm). The GPhC s right to check the standards of pharmacy qualifications leading to annotation and registration as a pharmacist is the Pharmacy Order It requires the GPhC to approve courses by appointing visitors (accreditors) to report to the GPhC s Council on the nature, content and quality of education as well as any other matters the Council may require. This reaccreditation event was carried out in accordance with the GPhC s 2011 MPharm Accreditation Methodology and the course was reviewed against the GPhC s 2011 education standards Future Pharmacists: Standards for the initial education and training of pharmacists. Background Pharmacy is one of five subject groups within the School of Life and Health Sciences (LHS) at Aston University, the others being Audiology, Biomedical/Biological Sciences, Optometry and Psychology. Pharmacy has its own dedicated learning and teaching facilities, in addition to the wider, integrated LHS and University facilities. The last accreditation was undertaken in 2008 by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. On that occasion, the team recommended that the MPharm be reaccredited for 5 years, subject to three conditions. The team also made a number of recommendations. The conditions and recommendations, as well as the School s responses, are summarised below. (As this reaccreditation was undertaken against the old standards, reference is made to the relevant GPhC standard, as shown in full in Appendix 1). General Pharmaceutical Council, MPharm reaccreditation report 1

2 Conditions i. The Aston Pharmacy School must explain how, during the final year, students must pass an assessment of any important recent changes in pharmacy law and/or professional requirements. In response to this condition, the relevant final year module specification was modified to state explicitly that the final examination component, which contains the assessment of recent changes in law and professional requirements, must be passed with a minimum pass mark of 50%; condonement now cannot be applied to this module. ii. iii. The University must consider formally whether the Standardised Marking Scheme is appropriate for a degree preparing graduates for entry to professional healthcare training and registration. In particular, the accreditation team did not accept that a student should be permitted to pass while presenting serious omissions/errors and where the answer is in parts illogical. In response to this condition, the marking scheme used in the Aston Pharmacy School has been amended to reflect the University s Generic Band Descriptors in the light of the comments made by the accreditation team (See standards 5.9 and 5.10). The Aston Pharmacy School must revisit learning outcomes in the pharmaceutics sequence of modules, to ensure that practical work is represented. In response to this condition, all of the pharmaceutics module specifications were revised so that the learning outcomes clearly demonstrated the nature, extent, relevance and importance of the pharmaceutics practical aspects (relevant to standard 5.5). Recommendations i. The School of LHS should secure community experience opportunities, including placements, equivalent in scope to those provided in secondary care settings currently. The provision of appropriate student placement experiences in primary care is now part of the Aston Pharmacy School learning and teaching strategy. In response to this recommendation, negotiations have taken place with several providers, in order to establish a robust scheme of placements in primary care. These are now included in the first year of the programme (See standard 5.6). ii. iii. The School of LHS should monitor the provision of technical support for pharmacy, which is the bare minimum sufficient to provide adequate cover. In response to this recommendation, a formal, reflective review of the technical support arrangements was undertaken and the Pharmacy programme now has an appropriate level of technical support (See standard 9.1b). The School of LHS should consider developing a more structured approach to replacing and developing equipment provision for pharmacy, identifying short, medium and long term priorities within the School context. In response to this recommendation, Aston Pharmacy School now has a separate, appropriate equipment budget for the MPharm programme within LHS (See standard 9.1a). General Pharmaceutical Council, MPharm reaccreditation report 2

3 iv. The School of LHS should continue actively to explore IPL opportunities with other local HE providers, especially in the areas of prescribing, pharmacology and therapeutics. In response to this recommendation, inter professional learning opportunities have been developed with a range of local HE providers; these include optometry at Aston University, Birmingham City University Nursing School, and Warwick Medical School. (See standard 5.6). v. The School of LHS should considers whether the current IELTS entry requirement is adequate for the MPharm and to consider whether it should be raised to the University norm for master s level programmes of IELTS 6.5 with no less than 6.0 in any component part. In response to this recommendation, the IELTS entry requirement for the MPharm programme has been raised to 6.5 with no less than 6.0 in any component part. (See standard 4.2b). A reaccreditation event was subsequently scheduled for March 2013 and the outcome of this event is detailed within this record. Documentation The provider submitted submission documentation to the GPhC in line with agreed timescales and a pre visit took place at Aston University on 11 February During the pre visit the schedule of meetings and timings for the reaccreditation event were confirmed. The following documents were submitted by the university in advance of the reaccreditation event: Completed GPhC submission template Reaccreditation of an MPharm degree course. 95 documents provided as supporting evidence for standards 1 9 (Appendix 2) The event The event began with a private meeting of the accreditation team and GPhC representatives on 12 March The remainder of the event took place on site at Aston University on March 2013; this comprised a series of meetings with staff and students of the University and included a tour of the University facilities. General Pharmaceutical Council, MPharm reaccreditation report 3

4 Accreditation team The GPhC s accreditation team ( the team ) comprised: Name Designation at the time of accreditation event Mr Peter Curphey * Accreditation team leader, Community Pharmacy Consultant 1 Professor Anthony Smith Accreditation team member (Academic), Vice Provost (Education), University College London Professor Brenda Costall Accreditation team member (Academic), Professor of Neuropharmacology and former Head of School, University of Bradford Professor James McElnay Accreditation team member (Academic), Pro Vice Chancellor (Research and Postgraduates), Queen s University Belfast Mrs Barbara Wensworth Accreditation team member (Pharmacist), Former hospital Pharmacist, Lecturer at Bradford College, Freelance Lecturer, External Verifier, assessor and writer Mrs Silvia Hikins Accreditation team member (Lay), Non Executive Director & Vice Chair, Mersey Regional Ambulance Service Trust along with: Name Designation at the time of visit Ms Joanne Martin * Quality Assurance Manager (Education), General Pharmaceutical Council [amend GPhC staff as necessary] Professor Brian Furman Dr Paul Grassby Rapporteur, Emeritus Professor of Pharmacology, University of Strathclyde Observer, Director of Clinical Studies and Deputy Head of Pharmacy, Lincoln University Ms Anne Watson Observer, Assistant Director of Pharmacy, NHS Education for Scotland *attended pre visit meeting on 11 February 2013 Mrs Hikins was unable to attend the event because of unforeseen circumstances, but had read the documentation and submitted questions, which had been incorporated into the team s deliberations. This was explained to the University staff in the various meetings. 1 Professor Smith was absent during the meeting with the students Declaration of potential conflicts of interest Professor Smith had been a member of staff at Aston 20 years previously. Mrs Wensworth declared a distant relationship with a member of Aston School of Pharmacy staff and Professor Furman had supervised the PhD supervisor of another staff member. The team agreed that none of these represented a conflict of interest. General Pharmaceutical Council, MPharm reaccreditation report 4

5 Meeting the accreditation standards Standard 1 Patient and public safety There must be clear procedures to address concerns about patient safety arising from initial pharmacy education and training. Concerns must be addressed immediately. Accreditation team s commentary The documentation described clear procedures to address patient safety relating to teaching and learning. Teaching within the clinical setting is always undertaken within a supervised and supportive environment and students are well briefed before participating in their hospital or community placements, or in research projects in these environments. This includes infection control and the need to disclose any health issues that may compromise patient safety. From the beginning of the course, students are fully aware of the Code of Conduct and Fitness to Practise procedures and complete an annual declaration of fitness to practise. Any concerns relating to a student s conduct or health which could pose a risk to patients or the public are referred to the School s Fitness to Practise Officer; all members of staff are familiar with the procedures to alert the School Fitness to Practise Officer to any concerns about a particular student. The team was satisfied that this standard was met. Standard 2 Monitoring, review and evaluation of initial education and training The quality of pharmacy education and training must be monitored, reviewed and evaluated in a systematic way. The MPharm programme is delivered by the Pharmacy Subject Group within the School of Life and Health Sciences (LHS) under the overall academic management of the Head of Pharmacy. The Programme Director, who reports directly to the Head of Pharmacy, is responsible for managing the quality of the MPharm programme through the Pharmacy Programme Committee; the responsibilities of this committee include oversight of curriculum development, monitoring the quality of learning and teaching, undertaking regular module reviews, consideration of major changes to the course and dealing with student feedback. The committee reports to the LHS Teaching and Learning Committee, which ultimately reports to the University. The day to day operation of the course, including all assessments/examinations, is through the module coordinators, who are normally the primary academic contact point for students. The course is reviewed annually by the University and, every six years, there is a major review of the programme, undertaken by a team comprising experienced academic staff and student representatives; this team also includes external representation, which usually comprises an external examiner and an experienced pharmacy professional. The last major review of the Aston MPharm was in The Head of Pharmacy Practice is responsible for the overall management of placements. Hospital pharmacy placements are planned, delivered and co ordinated by teacher practitioners (TPs), who also provide overall quality assurance. A new strategic advisory group has been established to cover placements and educational collaborations between Aston and the NHS partners; this is both a quality review group and a strategic planning group. The teaching during hospital placements is undertaken by the TPs, and/or by experienced clinical hospital pharmacists; students are provided with placement handbooks, which detail professional requirements, as well as the work to be undertaken. Placements in community pharmacy are coordinated by a teaching fellow, supported by three part time community pharmacy TPs. Student feedback via questionnaires and staff reports are used to monitor quality. The community placements are reviewed annually with the relevant companies and the information is fed into the normal cycle of programme review. General Pharmaceutical Council, MPharm reaccreditation report 5

6 The team was satisfied that this standard was met. Standard 3 Equality, diversity and opportunity Initial pharmacy education and training must be based on principles of equality, diversity and fairness. It must meet the requirements of all relevant legislation. The documentation described and evidenced Aston s commitment to equality, its celebration of diversity and its principles of fairness. While certain senior members of the University are responsible for the implementation of relevant policies, all members of the University community are obliged to ensure adherence to the relevant legislation and University policy in their treatment of other members of the University; the University provides guidance on equality and diversity through relevant codes of practice on Equality and Diversity for staff and students to enable them to fulfil this responsibility. The University monitors progress and assesses the impact of relevant policies in promoting equality and diversity, so that changes may be made where necessary. There are well defined channels to support students if, for example, they are concerned that they are subject to any form of discrimination. Academic and other staff members are given training in the concepts of equality and diversity in HE, and Aston procedures relating to such principles. There are also staff development sessions throughout the year; these cover various aspects of equality and diversity to fulfil Aston s legal responsibilities in this area, and to help promote and implement Aston s policies. The team was satisfied that this standard was met. Standard 4 Selection of students and trainees Selection processes must be open, fair and comply with relevant legislation. Processes must ensure students and trainees are fit to practise at the point of selection. Selection includes recruitment and admissions. Information about the MPharm programme, including how to apply, is provided on the University website and in the University s undergraduate prospectus, as well as in a booklet published by the School of Life and Health Sciences. Selection criteria are clearly defined; in addition to appropriate academic qualifications, these include a clear commitment to pharmacy. Currently, interviews are used optionally but it is intended to introduce compulsory, pre offer interviews to assess communication, decision making ability and moral reasoning. Fitness to practise on entry to the programme is ascertained through self certification of good health, along with an Enhanced Level Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check. There are mechanisms and procedures for dealing with students who declare physical or mental health problems or disabilities, as well as with those for whom issues are identified through the CRB check. Aston has well developed Equality and Diversity policies which aim to ensure fairness in selection and admissions procedures. The School based admissions team is supported by a University team and staff training and development is co ordinated centrally; training encompasses equality and diversity. The team was satisfied that this standard was met. The documentation described how the MPharm programme has been designed as an integrated learning experience, with a General Pharmaceutical Council, MPharm reaccreditation report 6

7 Standard 5 Curriculum delivery The curriculum for MPharm degrees and the pre registration scheme must deliver the outcomes in Standard 10. Most importantly, curricula must ensure students and trainees practise safely and effectively. strong science core formed of two major strands physical sciences and clinical sciences. The modules within these strands have been organised to provide a logical and progressive development of scientific knowledge and understanding supported, where appropriate, by hands on practical work. The twin scientific streams are bound by a practice thread, such that much of the learning relevant to the practice of pharmacy is interlinked with the scientific strands. Teaching is informed by the research undertaken by staff members; this research feeds into the whole programme. The skills and qualities that are essential for a science based health practitioner are also developed across science and practice modules; these include critical appraisal, evidence based practice, written and oral communication and IT skills. In addition, the practice thread interfaces with the external environment to contextualise the student s study; this is achieved, for example, by work based learning in both community and hospital pharmacy placements across all years of the course. Teaching, learning and assessment have been mapped to the GPhC standards for pharmacy education and therefore to the outcomes specified in standard 10. The accreditation team discussed extensively the approach to teaching, learning and assessment with members of the staff. While acknowledging that members of the teaching staff are working towards developing a fully integrated programme, the team remained concerned about the inconsistency in the integration of the programme at present, not least as presented in the documentation, which lacked clarity in places. Thus, reaccreditation of the programme will be subject to the condition (see condition) that full integration must be clearly demonstrated and articulated across the next three year period. While content with the standards of assessments in general, the team was especially concerned to note that the pass mark for the calculation assessment at stage 3 of the programme was only 60%. The staff provided assurances of the rigour of the calculations assessments and, indeed, scrutiny of sample papers showed the assessment to be challenging. Moreover, competence in calculations was demanded throughout the course. However the team remained concerned at a pass mark of 60%, as the GPhC expect students to aspire to total accuracy. An apparently low pass mark sends the wrong signal concerning future practice. In view of this, the team recommended that, from a public safety perspective, the Aston Pharmacy School should reconsider this approach to a very sensitive area (see recommendation 1). The team was satisfied that this standard was met, subject to the condition and bearing in mind recommendation 1. Standard 6 Support and development for students and trainees Students and trainees must be supported to develop as learners and professionals during their initial education and training. The support available for students was described in the documentation. The tutor system, whereby each student is allocated a personal tutor upon arrival at the University, was discussed with staff and students during the event. There are three levels to this system, comprising the personal tutor, the year tutor and the Programme Director. Students each have a personal tutor whom they meet formally once per term, although they can contact their tutors at any time. These meetings are based on submitted paperwork and include continuing professional development (CPD) cycles; the paperwork is retained by the School Office. Problems may be identified by personal tutors from the paperwork and from the meeting; if personal tutors cannot solve problems themselves, they will be passed to the relevant year tutor, who also scrutinise all submitted paperwork, and problems may be passed up to the Programme Director. Every member of staff has tutees, apart from the General Pharmaceutical Council, MPharm reaccreditation report 7

8 Standard 7 Support and development for academic staff and pre registration tutors Anyone delivering initial education and training should be supported to develop in their professional roles. Fitness to Practice Officer. Extensive support is also offered through informal meetings and students can contact their tutors at any time through, for example, e mail. Referral can be made to the wide range of support facilities offered by the University; these were described in the documentation and include the Careers, Placements and Employability team, the Counselling Service, the Disability and Learning Needs Unit (DANU) and the Learning Development Centre (LDC) which offers study skills workshops, study guides, a Maths Centre, Student Writing Mentors, various other learning resources and based tutorial support. The School of Languages and Social Sciences also provides language support to international students via self referral or referral through the personal tutor network. Web based systems are accessible to all students through My Aston Portal (MAP), a secure web portal that allows students to view and update their personal details, access their s, view teaching timetables and access the University s virtual learning environment (VLE), both on and off campus. The team was satisfied that this standard was met. Various mechanisms are available to support staff development. All staff members undergo an annual Performance Development and Review (PDR); this reviews achievement, progress and contributions over the past year, identifies aims and objectives for the forthcoming review period and identifies areas of development that will enable individuals to enhance their contribution to the University. The PDR process also addresses the workload of individual staff members. Mentoring ensures that members of staff have the opportunity to discuss their personal development with someone not directly involved in making judgements about their performance; this is offered and strongly encouraged for new appointments, those taking on new roles, or for those not meeting the expected standard. As part of their probation period, all new appointees, including teacher practitioners, are expected to complete the Aston Certificate in Learning and Teaching, unless they have equivalent or higher appropriate qualifications. This course provides knowledge and expertise in teaching, learning and assessment, with emphasis on developing reflective teachers who understand teaching as facilitating learning, and who seek to improve the quality of the teaching. New academic members of staff are also provided with appropriate support and mentoring to develop their research profile; this includes start up grants and a peer review systems for grant submissions to support staff development in this area. The Centre for Staff Development provides a range of resources and development programmes to support staff members. Resources include provision of induction and initial professional development for newly appointed staff, continuing professional development for all staff and funds for training and updating. All Pharmacy staff members are encouraged to attend relevant conferences pertaining to their research and professional interests and are also offered support to attend external training identified through their own development plans. This is funded through the Pharmacy Subject Group. All members of staff are embedded in teaching teams; LHS and Pharmacy Subject Group meetings support the integration of staff across Pharmacy and within the wider LHS structure. There is an annual, extended MPharm Programme Committee meeting, attended by all members of staff, to review forthcoming developments within the programme. The team was satisfied that this standard was met. General Pharmaceutical Council, MPharm reaccreditation report 8

9 Standard 8 Management of initial education and training Education and training must be planned and maintained through transparent processes which must show who is responsible for what at each stage Standard 9 Resources and capacity Resources and capacity are sufficient to deliver outcomes. The School of Life and Health Sciences comprises five subject groups Pharmacy, Psychology, Audiology, Biology and Optometry, each with its own head and staff. The primary committee within the School of Life and Health Sciences is the School Management Team (SMT), chaired by the Executive Dean or her deputy. SMT has the ultimate responsibility for resources, strategy and for academic decisions and comprises the heads of the five subject groups, and the chairs of the main sub committees for LHS, which are the Learning and Teaching and Committee, the Business and Community Engagement Committee, the Health and Safety Committee, the Research and Enterprise Committee and the International Committee. These committees advise SMT but have considerable devolved power. On academic matters, the Learning and Teaching Committee and Research Committee report via SMT to the University Learning and Teaching Committee and the University Research Committee, respectively, and so to Senate and Council. The Head of Pharmacy is advised and supported by the Pharmacy Management Team, comprising senior staff representatives of the major teaching areas, the programme directors and representatives of technical and support staff. The Pharmacy Management Team oversees the management of the pharmacy subject group, including resources and is also responsible for strategic development relating to pharmacy. The MPharm Programme Director reports to the Head of Pharmacy and is supported by the School administrator. The Pharmacy Programme Committee has overall responsibility for the development, design and review of the degree programme. It includes all Module Co ordinators, the Head of Pharmacy and also includes students. Minutes of the committee are sent to the LHS Learning and Teaching Committee, which responds to issues raised at School level. The Learning and Teaching Committee reports to the School Board and thence to the University Learning and Teaching Committee. Module Coordinators are responsible for the day to day operation of their modules, including all assessments, as well as having a key role in curriculum development. The team was satisfied that this standard was met. The MPharm programme is taught in its entirety from within the Pharmacy Subject Group, with appropriate use of visiting specialists and other professionals. The Pharmacy Subject Group staff profile has been developed to support the integration of science within an embedded pharmacy education, such that all staff can contribute to the education and training of pharmacists; the staff profile includes a range of grades of staff from across the various pharmacy disciplines. The teaching groups are led by pharmacists in collaboration with science academics to ensure integration of science in a pharmaceutical context throughout the programme. There are 45 members of academic staff (34.7 FTE), comprising 7 professors, 3 readers, 6 senior lecturers, 10 lecturers and 9 teacher practitioners; approximately 50% of staff members are pharmacists. Additionally, several pharmacists support the Pharmacy subject Group through their visiting and honorary positions. There are 6 members of technical staff. The current student to staff ratio is 18 to 1. New academic appointments are made strategically to address gaps in teaching and integration. The learning resources available to the MPharm programme were detailed in the documentation. The library is part of General Pharmaceutical Council, MPharm reaccreditation report 9

10 Library and Information Services, which also offers support in information literacy to pharmacy students. There is a comprehensive range of journals and books, including those in electronic format, as well as databases, relevant to pharmacy. All Pharmacy students have full access to centrally provided services, including the University VLE and each student has a University account, as well as individual file space on a central server which is backed up and resilient; the whole University is wireless networked and students can access the Aston system from anywhere on the site. The central service maintains a number of open access PC rooms and there are also several IT laboratories providing systems exclusively for students from Life and Health Sciences, with School specific software. The documentation described the teaching and research space available to the Pharmacy Subject Group, some of which (e.g. Pharmaceutical Chemistry Research and office space; chemical biology) has been extensively refurbished since the last reaccreditation and some of which is being upgraded/developed towards the end of the current academic year. Within the School Office, each programme now has a dedicated administrator, supported by programme assistants. Where appropriate, the School has moved to on line delivery of course material and electronic submission to allow plagiarism/collusion checking, proof of submission, enhanced feedback processing and electronic storage. The team was shown some facilities, including a well equipped, large, multidisciplinary teaching laboratory, used for all practical teaching (apart from dispensing), the new Medicines Management Suite, a simulated aseptic preparation room, the Pharmacy Practice laboratory, with its adjacent consultation area and a new interdisciplinary research area. During the tour, the team noted areas that did not appear to represent good professional practice. The counselling room adjacent to the dispensary did not appear to be of a modern training standard. The team also noted that the majority of items available for student dispensing exercises bore expiry dates that had been exceeded, often by many years. Despite assurances that students were fully aware of the importance of expiry dates, the team remained concerned about the level of out of date stock in the dispensary; this does not reflect acceptable practice, even within a simulated setting and should be addressed by the School (recommendation 2). The team was satisfied that this standard was met, bearing in mind recommendation 2. Standard 10 Outcomes The team scrutinised the learning outcomes by discussions with the teaching staff in two parallel subgroup sessions. Rather than examining each of the 58 outcomes in these sessions, a selection of eight outcomes was chosen for detailed discussion. The Aston University staff members were unaware of the outcomes to be discussed before the meeting. The outcomes selected were 10.1.f, b, e, g, g, h, a and b. Additional outcomes were covered in discussions addressing the various standards 1 9 and by the team s scrutiny of the documentation. For each of the eight outcomes, the evidence provided by the discussions with the staff, along with other evidence provided with the documentation, gave the teams confidence that these outcomes would be met at the required level. As this selection represented approximately 14% of the total outcomes, the team was confident that all other outcomes would be similarly General Pharmaceutical Council, MPharm reaccreditation report 10

11 Indicative Syllabus met. This view was supported by the documented material for each of the other outcomes, which had also been scrutinised by the team. The team was satisfied that this standard was met. The team was content with the School's use of the Indicative Syllabus to inform its curriculum. The team agreed that the MPharm degree met the requirements of Directive 2005/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the recognition of professional qualifications for the initial education and training of pharmacists. Summary and conclusions The accreditation team agreed to recommend to the Registrar of the General Pharmaceutical Council that Aston University should be reaccredited to provide an MPharm degree for a further period of six years, with a practice visit to take place in three years, subject to one condition: Condition: The accreditation team acknowledge that the programme team is working towards developing a fully integrated programme. However, it remains concerned about the inconsistency in the integration of the programme at present. Standard 5 (5.1 and 5.5) requires that the curriculum must be integrated. Therefore, full integration must be clearly demonstrated and articulated. A document must be submitted to demonstrate that this has been achieved; this will be tested in three years at a visit by members of GPhC accreditation team. The visit will be independent of the three year practice visit. This is to meet standard 5. This condition must be met by August The accreditation team made the following recommendations: i. Despite assurances of the rigour of the calculations assessments, the team remained concerned at a pass mark of 60%. Students are expected to aspire to total accuracy. An apparently low pass mark sends the wrong signal concerning future practice. In view of this, the team requests that, from a public safety perspective, the School should reconsider this approach to a very sensitive area. ii. Despite assurances, the team remained concerned about the level of out of date stock in the dispensary; this does not reflect acceptable practice even within a simulated setting. This should be addressed by the School. General Pharmaceutical Council, MPharm reaccreditation report 11

12 Standing condition of accreditation: These are the conditions which will apply in all circumstances of degree accreditation: 1. The school or department of pharmacy always seeks approval from the General Pharmaceutical Council for curriculum amendments and always at least informs the General Pharmaceutical Council of significant changes to pharmacy undergraduate student numbers or resources for their teaching, learning support and assessment, including any change from internal to teaching, learning and assessment from outside the school or department; 2. The school or department of pharmacy produces and submits to the General Pharmaceutical Council annually requested data on student numbers and progression and degree awards; 3. The school or department of pharmacy produces and submits to the General Pharmaceutical Council annually requested information about the extent of human and physical resources it enjoys for the delivery and support of the degree course; 4. The school or department of pharmacy or the university makes students and potential students aware of the existence and Internet address where they can view the General Pharmaceutical Council s summary reports of degree accreditation exercises, main after actions therefrom and of the timetable for future accreditation exercises. The Pharmacy Order 2010 states: Part 5 Education, training and acquisition of experience and continuing professional development, Information to be given by institutions or other providers, (3) Whenever required to do so by the Council, any institution or other provider to which this article applies must give to the Council such information and assistance as the Council may reasonably require in connection with the exercise of its functions under this Order. (4) Where an institution or other provider refuses any reasonable request for information made by the Council under this article, the Council may, in accordance with article 47 ( Refusal or withdrawal of approval of courses, qualifications and institutions ), refuse to approve or withdraw approval from, any course of education or training, qualification, test or institution or other provider to which the information relates. It is a requirement of accreditation that institutions or other providers provide the GPhC proactively and in a timely manner with any information which is, or has the potential to be, material to the delivery of an accredited course. This includes, but is not limited to: changes in staffing, changes in funding, and/or substantial changes in curriculum or delivery. Reference: Caution: Preregistration and employment as a pharmacist: In respect of all students, successful completion of an accredited course in not a guarantee of a placement for a pre registration year or of future employment as a pharmacist. Following the above reaccreditation event, the Registrar of the General Pharmaceutical Council agreed with the accreditation team s recommendation and approved the Aston University MPharm degree for reaccreditation a further period of 6 years, subject to meeting the condition described. Reaccreditation will take place in six academic years time, with an interim practice visit in three academic years time ( ). General Pharmaceutical Council, MPharm reaccreditation report 12

13 Appendix 1 Standards for the initial education and training of pharmacists [Note: The parts of the standards shown in grey italics are applicable only to those offering a 5 year MPharm degree with integrated periods of pre registration training.] Standard 1 Patient and public safety 1. There must be clear procedures to address concerns about patient safety arising from pharmacy education and training. Concerns must be addressed immediately There must be effective systems in place to ensure that students and trainees: 1.1.a do not jeopardise patient safety; 1.1.b only do tasks for which they are competent, sometimes under supervision; 1.1.c are monitored and assessed to ensure they always practise safely. Causes for concern should be addressed immediately; 1.1.d have access to support for health, conduct and academic issues; 1.1.e must not be awarded an accredited degree or pass pre registration training if they might pose a risk to patients or the public; 1.1.f understand what is and what is not professional behaviour and are familiar with the GPhC s Code of Conduct for Pharmacy Students (2010)Standards of conduct, ethics and performance (2010); 1.1.g understand what fitness to practise mechanisms apply to them. All schools of pharmacy must have fitness to practise procedures to deal with student causes for concern; 1.1.h undergo required health and good character checks; 1.1.i understand that it is an offence to impersonate a pharmacist. Pharmacists are registrants of the GPhC. General Pharmaceutical Council, MPharm reaccreditation report 13

14 Standard 2 Monitoring, review and evaluation of initial education and training 2. The quality of pharmacy education and training must be monitored, reviewed and evaluated in a systematic and developmental way. 2.1 There must be systems and policies in place covering : 2.1.a information about roles & responsibilities and lines of accountability; 2.1.b university information on: 2.1.b.i entry requirements; 2.1.b.ii the quality of teaching, learning and assessment; 2.1.b.iii the quality of placements and other practice learning opportunities; 2.1.b.iv appraisal and feedback systems for students and trainees; 2.1.b.v supervision requirements; 2.1.b.vi educational resources and capacity; These must be monitored, reviewed and evaluated systematically. When an issue is identified it must be documented and dealt with promptly; 2.1.c 2.1.d pre registration tutors evaluating trainees. To do this, tutors must have access to reliable evidence about a trainee s performance. Tutors must be competent to assess the performance of trainees; the quality and development of pre registration tutors. Standard 3 Equality, diversity and fairness 3. Initial pharmacy education and training must be based on principles of equality, diversity and fairness. It must meet the requirements of all relevant legislation. 3.1 systems and policies for capturing equality and diversity data. Concerns should be documented, addressed and disseminated; 3.2 strategies for staff training in equality and diversity General Pharmaceutical Council, MPharm reaccreditation report 14

15 Standard 4 Selection of students and trainees 4. Selection processes must be open, fair and comply with relevant legislation. Processes must ensure students and trainees are fit to practise at the point of selection. Selection includes recruitment and admissions. 4.1 Selection process must give applicants the information they need to make an informed application. 4.2 Selection criteria must be explicit. They should include: 4.2.a meeting academic and professional entry requirements; 4.2.b meeting English language requirements appropriate to MPharm degree study. Guidelines issued by English language testing bodies should be followed to ensure that admissions language requirements are appropriate; 4.2.c meeting numeracy requirements; 4.2.d taking account of good character checks, such as Criminal Records Bureau (CRB)/Disclosure Scotland checks; 4.2.e passing health checks (subject to reasonable adjustments being made). Health checks could include self evaluations and/or evaluations by healthcare professionals; 4.2.f recognising prior learning, where that is appropriate 4.3 Selectors should apply selection criteria fairly. They should be trained to do this. Training should include equality and diversity matters Standard 5 Curriculum delivery and the student experience 5. The curriculum for MPharm degrees and the pre registration scheme must deliver the outcomes in Standard 10. Most importantly, curricula must ensure students and trainees practise safely and effectively. To ensure this, pass criteria must describe safe and effective practice. 5.1 Curricula must be integrated. 5.2 Curricula must be progressive, dealing with issues in an increasing more complex way until the right level of understanding is reached. 5.3 An MPharm must be delivered in an environment which places study in a professional and academic context and requires students to conduct themselves professionally. Pre registration training must be delivered in a professional environment which requires trainees to conduct themselves professionally. 5.4 An MPharm must be delivered in an environment informed by research. This means that whether or not all staff are engaged in research, their teaching must be informed by research. 5.5 An MPharm degree teaching and learning strategy must set out how students will achieve the outcomes in Standard 10. Learning opportunities must be structured General Pharmaceutical Council, MPharm reaccreditation report 15

16 to provide: 5.5.a an integrated experience of relevant science and pharmacy practice; 5.5.b a balance of theory and practice; 5.5.c independent learning skills. 5.6 The MPharm degree curriculum must include practical experience of working with patients, carers and other healthcare professionals. Practical experience should increase year on year. 5.7 There must be a clear assessment strategy for the MPharm degree. Assessment methods must measure the outcomes in Standard The MPharm degree assessment strategy should include: 5.8.a diagnostic assessments; 5.8.b formative assessments; 5.8.c summative assessments; 5.8.d timely feedback. 5.9 Academic regulations must be appropriate for a degree that is both academic and professional and may lead to further professional training. As a general principle, all assessments must be passed. This means that condonation, compensation, trailing, extended re sit opportunities and other remedial measures should be extremely limited, if they are permitted at all. MPharm degree academic regulations may be more stringent than university norms. This may include higher than usual pass marks for assessments demonstrating knowledge and skills essential to safe and effective pharmacy practice Marking criteria must be used for all assessments and all pass criteria must reflect safe and effective practice Patient safety must be paramount in assessments: any evidence of an assessment demonstrating unsafe practise must result in failure A pre registration training plan must describe how the learning outcomes for pre registration will be delivered A pre registration training plan must describe all assessments, including tutor evaluations and tutor sign offs. General Pharmaceutical Council, MPharm reaccreditation report 16

17 Standard 6 Support and development for students and trainees 6. Students and trainees must be supported to develop as learners and professionals during their initial education and training A range of mechanisms must be in place to support students and trainees to develop as learners and professionals. Standard 7 Support and development for academic staff and pre registration tutors 7. Anyone delivering initial education and training should be supported to develop in their professional roles There must be a range of mechanisms in place to support anyone delivering initial education and training to develop in their role Induction programmes are provided for tutors and university staff as appropriate. This should include induction programmes for non pharmacists working on MPharm degrees Everyone involved in delivering the curriculum should have: 7.3.a effective supervision; 7.3.b an appropriate and realistic workload; 7.3.c effective personal support; 7.3.d mentoring; 7.3.e time to learn; 7.3.f continuing professional development opportunities Tutors have an identified source of peer support. Standard 8 Management of initial education and training 8. Initial pharmacist education and training must be planned and maintained through transparent processes which must show who is responsible for what at each stage 8.1. All education and training will be supported by a defined management plan with: 8.1.a a schedule of responsibilities General Pharmaceutical Council, MPharm reaccreditation report 17

18 8.1.b defined structures and processes to manage the delivery of education and training Standard 9 Resources and capacity 9. Resources and capacity are sufficient to deliver outcomes. 9.1 There must be: 9.1.a robust and transparent mechanisms for securing an appropriate level of resource for delivering an accreditable MPharm degree; 9.1.b sufficient staff from relevant disciplines to deliver the curriculum to students and trainees. Staff must be appropriately qualified and experienced. The staffing profile must include: 9.1.b.i sufficient numbers of pharmacists registrants of the GPhC with experience of teaching in higher education to ensure that an MPharm degree can produce students equipped to enter pharmacist pre registration training in Great Britain. 9.1.b.ii sufficient numbers of pharmacists to act as tutors and professional mentors at university and in pre registration. Not all personal tutors must be pharmacists. 9.1.b.iii pharmacists who are leaders in the profession and in their university, who can influence university policy relevant to pharmacy 9.1.b.iv non pharmacist academics who can influence school and university policy relevant to pharmacy 9.1.b.v staff who are sufficiently experienced to supervise research. It would be unusual for anyone to supervise research at a particular level unless they had researched to that level or beyond. New research supervisors must be mentored and signed off as being fit to supervise after a period of mentoring 9.1.b.vi science academics who understand the relevance of their discipline to pharmacy and deliver their area of expertise in a pharmaceutical context 9.1.b.vii academic pharmacists and other experienced MPharm degree staff who are able to act as mentors to non pharmacist colleagues 9.1.c pre registration tutors who meet the GPhC s standards for pre registration tutors. 9.1.d career pathways in universities for all staff teaching on MPharm degrees, including pathways for practice staff 9.1.e clear lines of authority and responsibility for the strategic organisation and day to day management of placements 9.1.f training and ongoing support for all non pharmacists involved in the delivery of MPharm degrees which must help them understand: 9.1.f.i help and understand the relevance of their work to pharmacy 9.1.f.ii how to deliver their area of expertise in a pharmaceutical context 9.1.g appropriate learning resources 9.1.h accommodation and facilities that are fit for purpose 9.1.i pre registration premises which meet the GPhC s standards for pre registration premises General Pharmaceutical Council, MPharm reaccreditation report 18

19 Standard 10 Outcomes 10.1 Expectations of a pharmacy professional Learning outcome MPharm Pre reg 10.1.a Recognise ethical dilemmas & respond in accordance with relevant codes of conduct and behaviour Shows how Does 10.1.b Recognise the duty to take action if a colleague s health, performance or conduct is putting patients or public at risk Knows how Knows how 10.1.c Recognise personal health needs, consult and follow the advice of a suitably qualified professional, and protect patients or Does Does public from any risk posed by personal health 10.1.d Apply the principles of clinical governance in practice Knows how Does 10.1.e Demonstrate how the science of pharmacy is applied in the design and development of medicines and devices Shows how Knows how 10.1.f Contribute to the education and training of other members of the team, including peer review and assessment Shows how Does 10.1.g Contribute to the development of other members of the team through coaching and feedback Knows how Shows how 10.1.h Engage in multidisciplinary team working Knows how Does 10.1.i Respond appropriately to medical emergencies, including provision of first aid Knows how Shows how 10.2 The skills required in practice Implementing health policy Learning outcome MPharm Pre reg a. Promote healthy lifestyles by facilitating access to and understanding of health promotion information Shows how Does b. Access & critically evaluate evidence to support safe, rational & cost effective use of medicines Shows how Knows how c. Use the evidence base to review current practice Shows how Does d. Apply knowledge of current pharmacy related policy to improve health outcomes Knows how Shows how e. Collaborate with patients, the public and other healthcare professionals to improve patient outcomes Knows how Shows how f. Play an active role with public and professional groups to promote improved health outcomes Knows how Knows how General Pharmaceutical Council, MPharm reaccreditation report 19

20 g. Contribute to research & development activities to improve health outcomes Knows how Knows how h. Provide evidence based medicines information Shows how Does Validating therapeutic approaches and supplies prescribed and over the counter medicines Learning outcome MPharm Pre reg a. Identify and employ the appropriate diagnostic or physiological testing techniques in order to promote health Knows how Shows how b. Identify inappropriate health behaviours and recommend suitable approaches to interventions Shows how Does c. Instruct patients in the safe and effective use of their medicines and devices Shows how Does d. Analyse prescriptions for validity and clarity Shows how Does e. Clinically evaluate the appropriateness of prescribed medicines Shows how Does f. Provide, monitor and modify prescribed treatment to maximise health outcomes Shows how Does g. Communicate with patients about their prescribed treatment Shows how Does h. Optimise treatment for individual patient needs in collaboration with the prescriber Shows how Does i. Record, maintain and store patient data Shows how Does j. Supply medicines safely and efficiently, consistently within legal requirements and best professional practice. NB This should be demonstrated in relation to both human and veterinary medicines. Shows how Does Ensuring safe and effective systems are in place to manage risk inherent in the practice of pharmacy and the delivery of pharmaceutical services Learning outcome MPharm Pre reg a. Ensure quality of ingredients to produce medicines and products Knows how Shows how b. Apply pharmaceutical principles to the formulation, preparation and packaging of products Shows how Shows how c. Verify safety and accuracy utilising pharmaceutical calculations Does Does d. Develop quality management systems including maintaining appropriate records Shows how Shows how e. Manage and maintain quality management systems including maintaining appropriate records Shows how Does f. Procure and store medicines and other pharmaceutical products working within a quality assurance framework Knows how Does g. Distribute medicines safely, legally and effectively Knows how Does General Pharmaceutical Council, MPharm reaccreditation report 20