Programme Specification
1. Awarding Institution
University of Greenwich
2. Teaching Institution
3. Faculty/Department
The Medway School of
Engineering and
Pharmacy
Science
5. Programme Title and approved endorsements:
PGCert in General Pharmacy Practice
PG Diploma General Pharmacy Practice
MSc General Pharmacy Practice
4. Final Awards
PGCert General Pharmacy
Practice
PGDip General Pharmacy
Practice
MSc General Pharmacy
Practice
7. Maximum/ Minimum Period(s) of Registration
6. Accredited by:
D/L
8. Programme Code or Codes
9. Last Revision date for Programme Specification
P12588
From March 2015
P12589
PXXXX
10. External Reference Points, e.g. subject benchmark statements
Mapped to the Foundation Pharmacy Framework (FPF) which is validated by the Royal Pharmaceutical
Society
11. Entry Requirements
Pharmacists registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council of Great Britain (GPhC) and working for
the NHS.
12. Educational Aims of the Programme and Potential Career Destinations of Graduates [Maximum 150
words]:
The key aims of the programme are to produce general level practitioners who can:
 Apply the appropriate knowledge, skills and attitudes to meet the competencies for a general level
pharmacist practitioner
 Carry out effectively the role of the general pharmacist practitioner within their pharmacy practice
base and wider healthcare teams
 Carry out an effective consultation with patients respecting their diverse needs
 Identify, prioritise and resolve complex pharmaceutical care issues for patients
 Apply correctly the principles of patient consent and patient confidentiality
 Apply their knowledge of the pathophysiology, pharmacology and the clinical use of drugs and
therapeutic guidelines for the treatment of common disease states to the care of individual
patients
 Access, gather, interpret, critically evaluate and summarise medicines information
 Monitor the quality of the service provided, identify prioritise and resolve significant medicines
management issues and monitor and evaluate outcomes
 Establish population health needs and apply specialist pharmaceutical knowledge to public health
issues
 Commit to life-long learning and continuing professional development as a clinical pharmacist
 Commit to maintaining standards and developing the role of the clinical pharmacist
 Carry out a sustained research project related to their practice and disseminate findings and
conclusions to a professional audience
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13. Summary of Skills Development for Students within the Programme [Maximum 150 words]:
On successful completion of the programme the graduate should be able to:
 Identify, prioritise and resolve the medicines management needs of patients, carers and other
social and health care professionals.
 Consult effectively with patients, carers and the multi-disciplinary health care team, respecting
diversity and confidentiality
 Independently develop their clinical pharmacy knowledge and skills in order to identify, prioritise
and resolve complex pharmaceutical problems in a range of common conditions
 Demonstrate a systematic approach to medicines management for patients with a range of
common conditions
 Demonstrate a proactive and critical approach to self-development and continue to advance their
knowledge and understanding through continuing professional development and lifelong learning.
 Plan and conduct a sustained work-based research project
14. The programme provides opportunities for students to achieve the following learning outcomes:
Knowledge and understanding of:
1. Organisation and structure of the NHS
2. Health policy and its impact on working practices
3. Medicines management and its application to individual patient care
4. Effective methods of working with patients, health and non-health professionals
5. Consultation methods and their applicability to patient care
6. Compliance, adherence and concordance`
7. Health beliefs: theories and models
8. Advantages and limitations of different methods of communication in the context of medicines
management
9. Ethical issues influencing prescribing decisions
10. Evidence-based approach to drug therapy decisions
11. Application of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic principles to individual patient care
12. Systematic approach to the delivery of care to patients with complex needs
13. Systematic approach to drug and therapy monitoring in patients with complex conditions
14. Applied therapeutics
15. Systematic approach to complex queries about medicines use
16. Effective use of complex clinical data sets
17. Pharmaceutical public health
18. Clinical governance in the context of medicines management
19. Audit as a tool to improve quality of patient care
20. Change management as a tool to improve service provision
21. Use of CPD as a tool for lifelong learning
22. Research methods and tools
23. Ethical and legal issues related to research
24. Data analysis
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15. The programme provides opportunities for students to develop the following skills:
Intellectual skills
 Work independently, efficiently and professionally within current NHS frameworks and the General
Pharmaceutical council (GPhC) Standards of Conduct, Ethics and Performance, managing any
conflicting priorities
 Demonstrate appropriate initiative whilst recognising personal and professional limitations
 Communicate clearly, precisely and appropriately with patients and all other healthcare
professionals
 Recognise, value and use appropriate theories, concepts and principles from a range of disciplines
 Demonstrate effective application of patient confidentiality and the principles of patient consent
 Retrieve and document information in a clear and structured way
 Carry out effective consultations with patients and carers to encourage compliance
 Accept responsibility for own actions and for the care of patients assigned to his/her care
 Undertake a structured approach to problem solving, forming an appropriate judgement even in
the absence of complete data
 Review, evaluate critically and synthesise sources of information and research methodologies cited
in published literature to support the care of individual patients
 Accept responsibility for his/her own lifelong learning and continuing professional development
 Apply effective negotiating and influencing skills in order to achieve a definite outcome
 Assess the outcome of personal contributions to patient care
 Evaluate and discuss legal and ethical influences related to the pharmaceutical care of individuals
 Contribute to the improvement of healthcare outcomes through reflective practice and innovation
 Demonstrate a critical application of the evidence base to inform research design and delivery
Subject practical skills
 Apply the principles of medicines management and pharmaceutical care in practice
 Interpret prescriptions for medicines and evaluate for safety, quality, efficacy, legality and economy
 Advise patients, carers and healthcare professionals about medicines usage and health promotion
 Identify, prioritise, analyse, evaluate and resolve pharmaceutical care issues (including social issues)
related to real patients irrespective of complexity
 Perform complex pharmaceutical calculations in order to advise on safe drug administration
 Demonstrate respect for the patient irrespective of ethnic, cultural or religious background
 Carry out the role of the clinical pharmacist effectively within the multidisciplinary healthcare team
 Carry out a review of patients’ medication at a range of levels, document recommendations and
influence prescribers and patients appropriately to institute agreed changes.
 Apply a knowledge of the pharmacology of drugs, pathophysiology of disease states and evidencebased treatment guidelines in the context of individual patients
 Select a range of biochemical, haematological, microbiological and near-patient tests in order to
monitor efficacy and toxicity of drug therapy
 Conduct an analysis of a patient safety issue, evaluate options and draw an appropriate conclusion
 Investigate medicines information enquiries using an appropriate research strategy, and formulate
and communicate responses to queries in a timely manner
 Advise on the clinical significance of drug-drug, drug-patient and drug-disease interactions and
devise a course of action to minimise risk to the patient
 Investigate medicines information enquiries using appropriate evidence and formulate a response
appropriate to the needs of the enquirer
 Advise on risk management issues and ways to minimise error
 Develop the pharmaceutical service and apply change management techniques
 Carry out a review of a clinical audit, evaluate the outcome and make recommendations for change
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Demonstrate an understanding of aspects of operational management including implementation of
national drivers, drug budget management, use of productivity data and responding to complaints
Contribute to the supervision and development of other members of pharmacy staff including
provision of teaching, training and formative feedback on performance
Identify and use appropriate methodologies and tools relevant to healthcare research
Conduct a research project mindful of the ethical and legal issues that need to be taken into
account when conducting healthcare research
Manage and analyse data management to inform the interpretation of research findings
Transferable/key skills
 Effective written and verbal communication with academic tutors, peers, practice tutors, patients,
carers and the multi-disciplinary healthcare team
 Interpersonal skills: the ability to interact with patients, the public and other health and social care
professionals
 Critical appraisal and summation of information from a variety of sources
 Interpretation of the significance of general, biological and medical statistics
 The ability to make appropriate decisions based on available information, with insight into the risks
and benefits that may result from working with incomplete data
 Ability to work independently and as part of a team within professional standards of conduct,
ethics and performance, with recognition of the moral and ethical issues related to medicines
management issues
 Positive attitude and constructive approach to group discussions
 Reflective practitioner and autonomous learner with the ability to take responsibility for academic,
professional and personal development
 High level information technology skills
 Time management and organisational skills
 High level problem solving skills
16. Teaching, Learning and Assessment Methods related to the programme learning outcomes and skills
sets
Teaching and Learning
 Guided, self-directed student learning is actively encouraged, supported by a range of resources
including the library facilities at their practice base and/or Medway campus and the worldwide web.
Students will be expected to develop the skill of critical evaluation of literature, and appropriate
evaluation and application of web-based information will facilitate development of this skill.
 Students will undertake experiential learning under the guidance of a practice tutor in an accredited
work base with set objectives.
 Blended learning will be essential. Formal teaching will be minimal but may include tutorials given
by expert pharmacists or clinicians. Students will participate in action learning sets under the
guidance of an academic facilitator to discuss evidence from their professional development
portfolio. Students will have access to formative case studies intended to assist them in applying
theoretical knowledge in the context of the care of patients.
 Intellectual skills are developed through reflective practice and learning activities. Participation in
case presentations and case study analysis will necessitate critical appraisal of the literature and
provide opportunities for peer review, critical discussion and reflective learning.
 Subject practical skills will be developed in a co-ordinated manner throughout the programme.
These skills are highlighted through the practical sessions as part of the action learning sets.
Investigations will be carried out as part of the work-based assignments.
 The portfolio of evidence, the opportunity to work with pharmacists from different hospital practice
backgrounds, and the practical placements within the multi-disciplinary team will all provide
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students with an excellent foundation for CPD in their future careers as clinical pharmacists.
 Students will work with their academic and work-placed supervisors to design and deliver a research
project. This will involve interrogation of the evidence base, and investigation of research methods
and tools. The academic supervisor and student will work together to plan an appropriate, flexible
method of learning research skills. Appropriate facilities and support will be made available to the
student, together with access to research expertise within the university and practice base.
Assessment
 The assessment methods associated with each course are given in the course specifications. A
variety of assessment methods are used to test the clinical knowledge, skills and attitudes of the
practitioners, including objective structured clinical examinations, multiple choice questions, case
based questions, pharmaceutical calculation questions, project work, compilation of a portfolio to
demonstrate competency attainments.
 One of the key characteristics of assessment within the programme is the element of negotiation.
This allows students to construct their own evidence of achievement of key learning outcomes
under the guidance of an accredited practice tutor using experiences from their chosen area of
clinical practice and application of their knowledge and skills to the care of actual patients.
 Methods used to assess intellectual skills include intensive workshops during action learning sets,
oral presentations, case study analysis, and portfolio entries, all set within the context of practice
based reflective learning.
 A variety of assessment methods are used to assess subject practical skills. The reflective portfolio
is a vital component in the assessment of the skills required and will include reflection upon
practice within the workplace and reflection upon communication skills in practice. Assessed tasks
include a literature review of an area of prescribing or a therapeutic dilemma, and a critical review
of an aspect of the pharmaceutical service provided in the work-base applying change management
theory.
 A variety of assessment methods are used to assess transferable key skills. The emphasis
throughout the course on the development of transferable skills will ensure that these outcomes
are met in master’s level graduates.
 Communication skills will be demonstrated with patients, peers, tutors and in the workplace.
Different methods of communicating results are encouraged including written reports, oral
presentations and oral discussion of a patient’s case with an assessor.
 IT competence will be demonstrated through investigation of medicines information queries and
presentation of written responses, presentation of the practice portfolio, the use of the worldwide
web and the analysis and presentation of pharmaceutical literature.
 The ability to solve problems, communicate appropriately and work with others will be
demonstrated though the competence framework assessments.
 Self-directed learning and CPD will be demonstrated through the reflective portfolio
 The research project thesis, poster, abstract and 2 personal reflections will form the assessment of
the research component.
17. Programme Structure: Levels, Courses and Credits
Level
7
Award(s) and Credits
The PGCert/Diploma/MSc General Pharmacy Practice is only
offered in the part-time mode. Students must pass the
requirements for the award of PG Certificate in order to progress
to PG Diploma level and must have completed the Diploma before
progression to the MSc
Compulsory course
PHAM1028
Approved by PASC November 2015
MSc General Pharmacy
Practice
180 credits at M level
Pass: Minimum of 50%
overall on marked
assignments plus
satisfactory portfolio
assessment
Merit: 60% and over on
marked assignments plus
satisfactory portfolio
assessment
Distinction: 70% overall on
marked assignments plus
satisfactory portfolio
assessment
Compulsory Courses
Stage 2
PHAM1134: Developing Self, Others and Your Operating
Management Skills (Foundation Stage 2) (30 credits) “Module A”
PHAM 1135: Ensuring Patient Safety and a Quality Service
(Foundation Stage 2) (30 credits) "Module B”:
Stage 1
PHAM1133: Practitioner Development and Establishment of
Professional and Clinical practice (Foundation Stage 1) (60 credits)
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PG Diploma General
Pharmacy Practice
120 credits at M level
Pass: Minimum of 50%
overall on marked
assignments plus
satisfactory portfolio
assessment
Merit: 60% and over on
marked assignments plus
satisfactory portfolio
assessment
Distinction: 70% overall on
marked assignments plus
satisfactory portfolio
assessment
PG Certificate in General
Pharmacy Practice
60 credits at M level
Pass: Minimum of 50% on
marked assignments plus
satisfactory portfolio
assessment
Merit: 60% and over on
marked assignments plus
satisfactory portfolio
assessment
Distinction : 70% and over
on marked assignments plus
satisfactory portfolio
assessment