The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 276 No 7401 p592
20 May 2006

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· Intervention recording
· Packaging
· National Health Service
· Remote supervision
· Council election
· Fitness to practise (3)
· Education

Letters to the Editor

Education

Society acted swiftly and decisively against De Montfort

From Mr D. Day

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society shares David Thomas’s concerns about dumbing down (PJ, 6 May, p533), which is why it acted well over a year ago to ensure standards were being maintained at De Montfort University. The Education Committee launched a rigorous investigation in 2005 and has been monitoring the situation ever since. I can assure Mr Thomas that our reports are far from “bland” and get to the heart of the matter, which is whether students are fit to enter preregistration training on graduation or not. That is why we required an extremely detailed five-point plan to be implemented, which included individualised support for every student affected. Implementation has been monitored closely by the Education Committee on behalf of the Society to ensure all students have engaged with the required process. We did not accept the university’s reasons for doing what it did and required it to remedy the situation. I do not agree with his implication that students’ marks are being raised routinely because the accreditation process the Society operates includes consideration of examination meeting minutes and external examiners reports and would identify such action. The important point to note is that when an issue came to light at De Montfort we acted swiftly and decisively.

Damian Day
Head of Accreditation
Royal Pharmaceutical Society

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