New pharmacy degree to help combat industry shortage

Students will benefit from new state-of-the-art labs in which to learn in

A new pharmacy degree is set to be rolled out at the University of Suffolk in a bid to address a skills shortage within the industry.

The four-year Master of Pharmacy programme, which will accommodate around 40 students for the first year, will launch in September 2026.

It will see a new, fully-stocked mock dispensary and clinical skills suite built and state-of-the-art laboratories developed at its Ipswich campus, costing more than £2m.

The hope is the degree will help combat the shortfall in pharmacists, after the NHS outlined a need to increase the number of pharmacists nationally by 31-55%.

The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, published in 2023, also revealed ambitions to increase training places for pharmacists by nearly 50% by 2031/32.

The Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board has also since recognised the need for training of more pharmacists in the East of England.

The students will learn about digital pharmacy, clinical reasoning, health inequalities and patient-centred care

Prof Paula Kersten, executive dean of the School of Health, Sciences and Society, said: "The university has a track record of delivering courses in areas of known skills shortages in the NHS health and social care sector.

"The addition of the Master of Pharmacy course continues that commitment to play a vital role in delivering the skills training for our communities."

The university said the course would equip students with the skills and experience to become "future-ready pharmacists".

Students will learn about digital pharmacy, clinical reasoning, health inequalities and patient-centred care and gain experience in a real-world pharmacy.

The new clinical skills suite will be based in the site's Health and Wellbeing Building, with work due to get underway later this year.

Students will also benefit from two new laboratories which will be built in the James Hehir Building between February and August.

Dr Georgina Marsh is the Head of Pharmacy at the University of Suffolk

Dr Georgina Marsh, head of pharmacy at the university, said: "There is a recognised need for more pharmacists in the region and the UK."

The university is working towards accreditation for the programme with the General Pharmaceutical Council.

The degree will not be provisionally accredited until the accreditation process is complete, upon the graduation of its first cohort in 2030.