University Students
Training the pharmacists primary care needs next.
Programme at a glance
A one-of-a-kind primary care placement experience.
Why a BCS placement
A real PCN placement — not shadowing.
Most MPharm students do placements in hospital or community pharmacy. A BCS placement gives them direct, supervised exposure to primary care pharmacy — a setting most never see during their degree.
Students join a working PCN team, sit alongside senior pharmacists, and work through real clinical activity on EMIS and SystmOne — supported the whole way by our Training & Development team.
- Bespoke weekly agenda aligned to GPhC competency standards
- Hands-on exposure across EMIS and SystmOne
- Case-based discussions and CBD case-study presentations
- Joint support from T&D, Operations and the Service Development Team
- Exposure to SMRs, QOF, CQC and medicines optimisation workflows
- BCS Appraisal Framework completion with a primary care focus
What students do on placement
A structured rotation across our four programmes.
Structured Medication Reviews
Observe and contribute to SMRs aligned to the national framework, with supervised sign-off.
High-risk drug monitoring
See how DMARDs, lithium and other high-risk medicines are monitored safely across a PCN.
Polypharmacy & deprescribing
Work through complex cases in over-75s and frailty cohorts with senior pharmacists.
Long-term conditions
Diabetes, heart failure, HRT and women's health — real cases, supervised learning.
Core practice work
Repeat prescribing, discharge reconciliation, queries and workload management.
QOF & DES delivery
See how a PCN actually hits QOF, IIF, DES and BeCCoR targets through pharmacist-led work.
Supervision model
Supported every step — never left to figure it out alone.
- Daily in-hub support from senior pharmacists at London or Halifax
- Weekly clinical supervision with Dr Ahmed (GP Principal & Clinical Lead) — 1:1 peer discussions, group tutorials, CEPSAR and MR-CAT support
- Fortnightly structured training sessions tracked on the Fortnightly Training Tracker
- Access to Clinical Gems, the Knowledge Bank and BCS intranet protocols
- Joint sign-off across T&D and the placement supervisor
What universities get
A partner that takes placements seriously.
GPhC-aligned curriculum
Documented weekly agenda mapped to GPhC competency standards, refreshed each cohort.
Structured supervision & sign-off
Named supervisors, scheduled touchpoints and a clear competency framework.
Two-hub coverage
London and Halifax hubs give universities geographic flexibility for student placement.
Reporting & feedback loops
Placement reporting back to the school of pharmacy with student feedback and supervisor notes.
FAQ
Frequently asked.
Which students do you take?+
We primarily host fourth-year MPharm students from the University of Bradford and the University of Huddersfield, with whom we hold formal placement partnerships.
Where do placements take place?+
Across our two training hubs — London and Halifax — embedded in working PCN teams.
Are placements paid?+
Placements are arranged through the partner universities under their standard placement frameworks. Get in touch via your university placement lead.
Can other schools of pharmacy partner with BCS?+
Yes — we're open to new university partnerships. Contact our Head of Training & Development to discuss.
Do students get a route into BCS after qualification?+
Many of our placement students go on to apply for BCS pharmacist roles after qualification — a placement is often a first step into a primary care career with us.
Interested in a placement partnership?
Speak to our Head of Training & Development about hosting your pharmacy students at BCS.
Current university partners
Named partnerships with two UK schools of pharmacy.
University of Bradford
University of Huddersfield
For universities
Are you a school of pharmacy?
We work with UK schools of pharmacy to give their students real primary care training across our four programmes — supervised by senior primary-care pharmacists at our London and Halifax hubs. If you'd like your pharmacists to train with us, get in touch.