Day Lewis and NHS trust ally on student training scheme

Day Lewis is allying with East London NHS Foundation Trust to create a student training scheme focused on mental healthcare.

A pre-registration programme is being launched that will enable students to split their training equally between primary and secondary care settings, working six months in a Day Lewis pharmacy and six with the foundation trust.

Participants will rotate through a number of different mental health specialties, including acute, perinatal and forensics settings, while working with elderly patients, children and adolescents.

Those who complete this programme will leave with skills bridging both sectors, allowing them to pursue careers in either field, reports Chemist and Druggist.

Luvjit Kandula, pre-registration programme manager at Day Lewis, said: "Pharmacists who work in this placement will be able to bridge the gap between primary and secondary care, which is really where the future of pharmacy is going and what is missing from the skill set."

Day Lewis is the largest independent pharmacy chain in the UK, operating almost 200 outlets across the country, with most being located in the south of England.