The University of Suffolk has finished the first phase of its pharmacy facility developments ahead of the start of its new Master of Pharmacy (MPharm) course in September.

The new facilities include a pharmacy practice suite and mock dispensary for students to develop diagnostic, consultation and dispensing skills, and a telehealth room for practicing remote consultations.

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Located in the university’s Health and Wellbeing Building, the pharmacy facilities also include an open-plan teaching space designed for collaboration and to allow students to develop “clinical reasoning skills and facilitate professional and ethical discussions”.

The university received £457,600 of investment towards the developments from the Office for Students, as part of the body’s capital funding allocated for “priority sectors of growth”. Phase two of the developments are now underway, with the installment of “specialist” pharmacy and life sciences labs due to be completed by the end of the summer.

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The MPharm course seeks to “address the skills shortage of pharmacists” and hopes to contribute to the need for 31-55% more training places outlined by the NHS Long Term Workplace Plan 2023.

The new cohort of students will be able to undertake specialisms in areas such as “molecular biology, drug development, pharmaceutical chemistry and digital healthcare”, and home students can apply for a £1,000 bursary to support them in their studies.

Simulated skills

The new facilities will “play a vital role” in teaching the course, said head of pharmacy and prescribing at the University of Suffolk, Dr Georgina Marsh.

“Ensuring students have practical and simulated facilities, where they can safely apply the skills they learn to real world scenarios, is an important part of their development,” she added.

Professor Paula Kersten, dean of Suffolk’s School of Health, Sciences and Society, called the developments a “landmark moment” for the new MPharm course.

She said it will play a “key role in addressing the local, regional and national demand for pharmacists”.

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It comes after the University of Suffolk partnered with local pharmacy chain G.M. Graham Pharmacies to provide placements for students on its upcoming MPharm course.

Students will “carry out approximately 70 days of placements” as part of their learning, allowing them to “gain valuable applied experience”.