Newly qualified pharmacists at LloydsPharmacy will be enrolled onto a 12-month development programme from October this year.

The course has been introduced to provide extra support for pharmacists at the company in their first year of practice and help them develop the skills and behaviours they need to be effective leaders and to deliver safe and effective patient care.

It also provides them with a peer support network through which they can discuss and learn from other colleagues who are also in their first year as a professional. “We know that the transition from pre-reg to newly-qualified pharmacist can be a daunting one, so we hope this programme will help prevent anyone from feeling isolated,” says the multiple.

As part of the programme, LloydsPharmacy is supporting colleagues to complete an online post-graduate clinical certificate with Keele University to further develop their knowledge in key areas. This includes public health and monitoring therapy, as well as therapeutic areas such as cardiovascular, respiratory and mental health.

Steve Howard, clinical standards director and superintendent pharmacist at LloydsPharmacy parent company McKesson UK said: “We are hoping that through this foundation programme, we can give that extra helping hand that will set our young pharmacists up for success.”

When asked why the company isn’t using the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s own foundation programme for newly qualified pharmacists, a spokesperson said: “The LloydsPharmacy programme is not intended to replace other programmes, but it’s there to provide additional support to our community pharmacists in their first year of practice. The programme is not compulsory and can be run alongside other courses. If a newly qualified pharmacist specifically wanted to participate in the RPS programme, they are able to do so.”