Prescribing in community pharmacy in England

An exciting opportunity to apply for a fully funded PhD position in the College of Health, Science and Society, UWE Bristol. The studentship will be funded by UWE Bristol and the Health Education Foundation. 

Ref: 2324-OCT-CHSS01.

The expected start date of these studentships is 1 October 2023.

The closing date for applications is 21 July 2023.

There are currently more than 13,000 prescribing pharmacists, representing over 22% of the pharmacists in the UK. The majority of those are registered in England. There is a strong drive to ensure that all pharmacists are “prescribing-ready” by the time they complete their pharmacy training. However, the development of new clinical services involving prescribing in community pharmacy has not caught up with the pace of training community pharmacists to become independent prescribers. Many community pharmacists who become independent prescribers struggle to use their prescribing skills to deliver NHS services.

This project aims to explore new models of community pharmacists NHS prescribing for acute illness and long-term conditions management in community pharmacy settings. There are five objectives:

• A comprehensive literature review and scoping exercise.
• A quantitative study (using an online questionnaire) to explore community pharmacists' views and experiences of prescribing in community pharmacy settings.
• A qualitative study (using semi-structured interviews) to explore the relevant themes emerging from the quantitative study, and identify views on the practical implementation of NHS prescribing in community pharmacy settings.
• Developing models of community pharmacists NHS prescribing, in community pharmacy settings based on the findings identified in stages 1-3.
• Testing the feasibility of implementing a community pharmacy-based NHS service based on models identified in stage 4.

For an informal discussion about the studentship, please contact Dr Ilhem Berrou (Ilhem.Berrou@uwe.ac.uk).

The studentship is available from 1 October 2023 for a period of three years, subject to satisfactory progress and includes a tax exempt stipend, which is currently £18,622 per annum.

In addition, full-time tuition fees will be covered for up to three years (Home).

You must be a practicing community pharmacist independent prescriber or working towards it. Ideally, you will have prior research experience.

The studentship is eligible for UK applicants only.

Please submit your application online. When prompted use the reference number 2324-OCT-CHSS01.

Supporting documentation: You will need to upload your research proposal, all your degree certificates and transcripts, and a recognised English language qualification is required.

References: You will need to provide details of two referees as part of your application. At least one referee must be an academic referee from the institution that conferred your highest degree. Your referee will be asked for a reference at the time you submit your application, so please ensure that your nominated referees are willing and able to provide references within 14 days of your application being submitted.

The closing date for applications is 21 July 2023.

It is expected that interviews will take place on weeks commencing Monday 31 July 2023. If you have not heard from us by 28 July 2023, we thank you for your application but, on this occasion, you have not been successful.