From Dr N. H. L. Starey, MRCGP, and Dr P. H. Rivers, MRPharmS
SIR,—At a time when primary care practitioners are adapting to major new responsibilities, insufficient attention is being paid to their development needs. These new responsibilities cover huge areas, eg, health needs assessment, commissioning secondary care, demand management in primary care, and working in partnership with others in the health and social care family.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society's publication "Achieving excellence in pharmacy through clinical governance" (PJ, September 25, p479) calls upon pharmacists to establish better links with the rest of primary care. In order to achieve such a goal, we believe it is important to develop a forum for multidisciplinary postgraduate learning. Masters level study needs to be open to practitioners from different backgrounds and be available in a variety of formats (such as paper or Web-based open/distance learning) in order to meet the differing needs of learners.
Individual universities are beginning to spot the gap in the market and are now launching primary care courses at masters level. For example, the Health Services Management Unit has just launched a new postgraduate programme in primary care leadership requiring attendance at the University of Manchester. Our own masters in primary care studies is also taught locally and contains distance-learning components. But we feel that there should be co-ordination between universities and the Health Service across the country, so that all practitioners within the primary care sector have an opportunity to prepare for the future.
N. H. L. Starey
Director
P. H. Rivers
Reader in Health and Pharmaceutical Care, School of Health and Community Studies, University of Derby