RPS offers free antimicrobial stewardship training to pharmacists in England

Diane Ashiru-Oredope, lead pharmacist for antimicrobial resistance at Public Health England

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) is offering free antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) training to pharmacists in England.

There are 60 places available for the training, which is funded by Health Education England (HEE) and led by Diane Ashiru-Oredope, lead pharmacist for antimicrobial resistance at Public Health England.

The course is aimed at pharmacists in both primary and secondary care, and in particular at those responsible for AMS network services in primary care networks who work in an area with high antimicrobial utilisation, and pharmacists interested in a future career in AMS.

The three-month training programme includes attendance at a training day in either Leicester or Bristol in February 2020. The rest of the training will be delivered through digital group evening sessions, and through self-directed learning.

Trainees will be assigned to a tutor from the UK Clinical Pharmacy Association, who will support them throughout the course alongside a member of the RPS’s education team.

The training is open to pharmacists who are registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council and who have practised for at least two years as a registered pharmacist, or who have completed Foundation training.

The course was piloted in early 2019 in London, Kent, Surrey and Sussex.

Bairavi Indrakumar, senior clinical pharmacist at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, who took part in the pilot, said the experience “helped me develop my skills as a competent and confident AMS practitioner”.

“The practice-based discussions benefitted my practice significantly, being able to share ideas and learn from experts as well as each other.”

Applications for the programme must be submitted by 20 December 2019, for a course start date of 30 January 2020. More details, and an application form, are available on the RPS website.

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Citation
The Pharmaceutical Journal, RPS offers free antimicrobial stewardship training to pharmacists in England;Online:DOI:10.1211/PJ.2019.20207380

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