r/Pharmacy_UK

So, my mother is in her 70s and has been prescribed quite a few (7-8?) drugs which she takes daily.

She uses a local pharmacy (the most disorganised place on earth) and pretty much every time I go there only half of the prescriptions are ready. Sometimes they check and find a missing one, but often times my mother needs to call the GP and have the prescription resent. Sometimes they log into a different computer and find them.

The GP uses systemonline and when my mother logs in all the drugs she requires are there and say they’ve been processed or whatever terminology they use.

What is the likely reason why her drugs aren’t being prescribed by the pharmacist? Ineptitude of the pharmacists? GP surgery not sending the prescriptions?

I am usually in charge of picking up her pills so it’s very annoying to have to do multiple trips for what I assume should be the same drugs month to month.

Harley’s Pharmacy is South Kensington, London, by the way. What a frustrating place. They have multiple tubs which don’t seem to be alphabetically organised. Sometimes half her prescriptions are in one, and the rest in another. It’s really drives me mental.

I have an 8a interview on Monday for a mental health post. Does anyone have any advice on how to prepare or know any common questions that would be asked

I’ve been calling multiple pharmacies for dispenser roles and volunteering opportunities, and applying through Indeed, Boots, and Glassdoor for the past year, but I’ve had no luck.

I’ve had several interviews, but I was always rejected. Whenever I asked for feedback, I was told there wasn’t anything negative, its just had simply chosen a more qualified and experienced dispenser.

Currently in 2nd year uni which is worth 20% whilst 3rd and 4th year are both worth 40%

Is it possible to still do incredibly well after having sort of bombed 2nd year with 2:1s here and there?

I failed the calculation exam I cannot afford to fail the resit any tips will help.. please

​Hi I’m an international student in the UK who just finished Year 1 of MPharm. I’m writing this to get some brutal, unfiltered advice on whether I should transfer to a Pharmacology BSc.

​To be completely honest, studying pharmacy has been just okay, but I have absolute zero interest in becoming a community or hospital pharmacist. My initial reason for choosing MPharm was solely to become an industrial pharmacist, with my ultimate dream being to work in Big Pharma either as a Researcher (Scientist) or in Medical Affairs / as an MSL.

However, after a year of studying, I’ve realized this course is almost entirely designed to churn out retail and clinical hospital pharmacists.

But im still scared to make a decision for few reasons.

As an international student, I pay £35k+ per year just for tuition. I've heard that with a Pharmacology BSc, it takes a massive amount of time (and money) to reach a decent salary (like the £40k+ a pharmacist makes) because the industry often requires an MSc or a PhD for R&D/MA roles. Ik I have to give up some of the advantages of being a pharmacist to pursue pharmacology. But im afraid if Im just walking straight into a financial doom loop under the guise of pursuing my dream?

And ive heard it could be advantageous having license as pharmacist to be MA, i would like to know if it is true

So in conclusion, i want to transfer to pharmacology but im not sure this decision would benefit to become MA/scientist and how difficult to have job with pharmacology degree. I also would like to know is preference degree for MA/MSL. And is it even reasonable dream wanting to be MA or scientist in case of mine..

Plz give me some advice abt it

Ps. If it helps with your advice, the university I'm currently studying is usually ranks within the Top 5 in for Pharmacy in uk i think. Not rlly sure about pharmacology. I heard it is well-regarded but i think my tutor is biased cuz they did most of career in pharmacology at this uni

Pluss i can dierectly transfer to y2 in pharmacology if i transfer

+++ And had conversation with academic leader and be told that i need to do another master degree to do research after Mpharm if I stay in Mpharm as pharmacology part in Mpharm has been shifted away from covering in Mpharm curriculum when compared with the past.

I've noticed some criteria that frequently come up in NHS posts which I can't meet right now (context: I'm currently a newly qualified locum in community pharmacy), but could anyone advise on how I could work towards them?

The criteria:

• Previous participation in audit, development of audit tools, data collection and collation - I did learn about national audits for community back in uni e.g. NSAIDs/PPIs but I haven't come across them in practise, and I'm not sure how I could get involved in these as a locum
• Postgraduate certificate/diploma in pharmacy practice or equivalent - Can this be done without hospital workplace support or is it exclusive for people training/working in hospitals?
• Minimum of two years experience as a pharmacist, demonstrated within a practice portfolio - Is there a particular format/guideline for a practice portfolio?

What is your opinion on getting the foundation year membership from RPS for supporting common assessment? My training provider is Propharmace.

I also wonder, is it necessary or important to renew RPS Membership?

I am currently completing my Oriel application for my training year, and I am unsure about the referee section.

As an international student, I do not have any family in the UK, and I do not know anyone in a professional role who could provide a character reference.

For the academic reference, I am considering asking my tutor. However, we have not interacted very much, and our contact has mainly been during group presentation preparation sessions. I am therefore unsure whether it would be appropriate to ask them to be my referee. If I decide to list my tutor as a referee, should I contact them and obtain their agreement before including their details on the application? Or is it acceptable to submit my application first and contact them afterwards, updating the referee details if they are unwilling?

The deadline for providing referee details on my application is 3/7. I don't know I need to provide referee now as my uni said reference is not that important.

I'm at RGU doing my IP course.

Essentially our full assessment will be based on our PLP time with some extra we need to do like risk assessment etc.

We need 90 hours PLP time but these need to be hours where we are actually doing stuff. We need to be taking the consultations, doing the examinations etc.

I'm really struggling to get these hours in community pharmacy. You could go to a pharmacy for a full 8 hour day and only see 4 patients which is like 2 hours at a push.

Does anyone have any advice on how they managed to rack up their hours? I do have the advantage of being off on a Monday and Friday but I will need to find childcare for those days.

I'm really stressed and don't want to extend the course to give me more time. I've tried to get into GP surgeries but all the ones near my pharmacy said no.

I start very soon and i just realised, what am i supposed to wear on the first day because it is just a trust induction, nobody has mentioned anything in relation to this.
I was genuinely going to rock up in jeans and shirt and have potentially made the worst first impression possible until it dawned on me. Anybody who did their hospital pre reg can u recall what u wore on the very first day before u got given scrubs or anything like that?

Im on a gap year and applied to and firmed Liverpool John Moore's Pharmacy because it's in Liverpool where a close family member lives and they let me stay with them. However I just learnt that the uni of Liverpool has opened a pharmacy course and the first cohort is due to start sept 2026. I am SO angry that I didn't apply, I just assumed they didn't do pharmacy 😭 because well they didn't do it when I was in year13 (which was when I did all the research abt where to apply and for what etc). Uni of Liverpool is SO MUCH more prestigious than John Moore's and I would've applied there instead had I known they did pharmacy. However I do understand that uni prestige isn't important in careers like med and was wondering whether that's the same for pharmacy? If uni of Liverpool was on clearing for pharmacy do you recommend I go there (I already achieved all their entry requirements when I was in yr13 btw) or shall I stay with John Moore's because it's more established etc?

Thank you

Could anybody suggests me any platform for oriel preparation, material , advices

Quick question for anyone who knows the process:

Is a 4-year MPharm accepted in the US for pharmacist licensure, since the US usually requires 5 years of pharmacy study? In the UK it is 4 years, so I’m not sure how this works.

Also, is the UK pre-reg year necessary or can it be skipped as i will be moving to the US right after graduation and would have re-do the 1500-2000 hours training in US too.

Any advice is appreciated 🙏

Hi. Is there anyone who works as a clinical trials pharmacist ?

Is it really as boring as everyone says ? Is it mostly paperwork with very little clinical work? Thanks.

Hiii i’m currently in year 13 and im going to be going to UON for pharmacy in September. I’m trying to plan my spending as everything is crazy expensive right now and I was wondering if there would be time for me to get a part time job during my pharmacy course because if not it’s looking like i’m gonna be extremely broke first year lol. If anyone’s got any advice that would be greatly appreciated!!!

Before anyone says it — yes I know the market is tough, yes I know margins are squeezed, yes I know the NHS contract is uncertain. I’ve done the numbers inside out and I’m happy with the acquisition. What I’m looking for is constructive advice from people who’ve actually grown an independent, not a debate about whether I should be buying at all.

The pharmacy:
Independent community pharmacy in a village in England. Around 8,500-9,000 items per month, trending upward. Only pharmacy in the village — unopposed location. BD Rowa Max robot installed January 2023 and fully up and running doing amazing. Care homes across four sites. 100+ weekly deliveries already with a dedicated driver.
The vendor has run it well but passively. He’s 60-odd, not particularly interested in pushing growth, and has essentially coasted on the dispensing volume for years. Which is exactly why I’m buying it.

No website. No online prescription ordering. No active marketing whatsoever. Pharmacy First running at around sub £5k per year — which for a pharmacy this size is very low and tells me consultations are almost never happening proactively. NMS outsourced to a third party at £7 per item so they’re only netting £21 of the £28 reimbursement. Pharmadoctor unlimited package already in place and generating decent amount per year in private services — but only about 30-40% of the available services are actually activated. No social media presence. No Google Business Profile claimed. Facebook page exists but dormant.

Basically someone built a solid foundation and then left it there for fifteen years.

My growth plan so far:

Stop outsourcing NMS. Do it in house.

Activate all remaining Pharmadoctor services and offer the services we can.

Brief counter staff to actively identify and refer Pharmacy First eligible patients and really crack down on all pharmacy first opportunities.

Optimise the Google business profile immediately and also post regularly on Facebook

Pharmacy Centre / BeWell Professional Plus website replacing the Pharmadoctor model the full package with calendar booking system and proffeisianl sleek website etc… even has like an AI Assistant on the website with the package. I was also thinking like putting leaflet or something in prescription bags and doing a paper round locally to advertise services were offering…

I have a friend who is Private GP and willing to setup a e-consultation service with me — fully qualified NHS GP friend with 10+ years on the GMC register who is happy to do remote video consultations through the pharmacy website. Patients book online, pay upfront, video call from wherever they are, prescription comes through to my dispensary electronically. He handles clinical, I handle everything else.

Anything else I’m missing — genuinely. What do owners who’ve grown an independent from passive dispensing to a clinical services focused model wish they’d known or done earlier?

I’m not looking to be talked out of it and I’m not interested in doom and gloom about the state of the sector generally. I’ve bought the pharmacy, the numbers work, the location is strong and I have a clear plan. I just want to hear from people with real experience of growing this type of business about what actually worked and what they’d do differently.
Appreciate any genuine input.

I just started a pharmacy counter assistant job as a pharmacy student and even though I'm grateful for the position/experience that will come with the job, why is no one allowed to sit? The hours are long and I have chronic back pain which gets so bad during the shift. Is there hacks? Is this why everyone takes frequent toilet breaks??? How tf am I meant to do like full time work here, im honestly thinking of quitting.

it also makes me really not want to do community for pre-reg or at least avoid it as much as I can...

Does anyone have any advice on getting through this?

Purely out of curiosity, why is this? As far as I know every other medication comes in blister packs, but all ADHD stimulant meds come in bottles. Is it a CD thing?