26th June 2018

Swansea University Medical School appoints Head of Pharmacy to launch new course

Swansea University Medical School has appointed a Head of Pharmacy ahead of launching its new Pharmacy degree programme.

The new MPharm degree at Swansea University Medical School is due to begin in 2020 with the first intake of students enrolling in October 2020.

It is the first time the Medical School has offered a pharmacy degree alongside its other medicine subjects.

Professor Andrew Morris has been officially appointed as the new Head of Pharmacy for Swansea. Professor Morris joins from the University of Nottingham, Malaysia Campus – where he was Dean of the Faculty of Science, with responsibility for the Department of Biomedical Science, the Schools of Biosciences, Computer Science, Environmental and Geographical Sciences, Pharmacy and Psychology.

Professor Keith Lloyd, Head of Swansea University Medical School, said the new MPharm degree was developed in response to the regional, national and UK-wide needs of a rapidly changing profession.

Professor Lloyd said: “We are rightly seeing pharmacists playing wider roles within primary, community and secondary care.

“As we celebrate 70 years of the NHS it is our belief that improved health outcomes can be achieved through even closer partnerships between pharmacists, doctors and other healthcare professionals. In reflection of this enhanced collaborative working,
inter-professional education will be an important tenet that will be embedded in our MPharm curriculum.”

He added: “We are delighted to announce that Professor Andrew Morris will be joining us later this year as Head of Pharmacy to launch the new MPharm degree.”

“The next critical post we will be appointing will be for the degree Programme Director. This individual will support Professor Morris in ensuring we deliver a degree which integrates science and practice alongside a strong emphasis on person-centred care.”

Bringing Care Closer to Home

Professor Morris said he was looking forward to joining the top 3 UK Medical School later in the year, and the time is right for Swansea University to invest in training tomorrow’s pharmacists – as well as tomorrow’s doctors.

Professor Morris said: “I am excited to be returning to South Wales and joining such a progressive and forward-looking institution. Swansea’s Medical School has steadily climbed the ranks in recent years – coming 3rd in the UK only behind Oxford and Cambridge.”

“There is increasing recognition of the benefits of extended clinical roles for pharmacists with significant developments and activity by NHS Wales to increase the number of clinical pharmacists working within general practices and primary care clusters, as well as community pharmacists to provide a greater range of clinically-focused services.” 

“As Welsh Government sets out its long-term vision for the future of health and social care in Wales – there is a clear emphasis on bringing care closer to people’s homes and reducing our reliance on hospitals.”

“Welsh Government wants the health service to place a greater emphasis on preventing illness, on supporting people to manage their own health and wellbeing, and on enabling people to live independently for as long as they can – our pharmacists are a crucial part of establishing this new world.”

Professor Morris obtained BPharm and PhD degrees from Cardiff University and he subsequently joined NHS Wales as a Community Pharmacy and Prescribing Adviser. During this period in the primary care sector he also held a freelance role working with the professional body in Wales and Swansea University Medical School piloting a new clinical governance toolkit for community pharmacies. From 1999 to 2005 Professor also worked as a community pharmacy locum in a variety of different pharmacy settings across South Wales.

After joining the University of Nottingham in 2005, Andrew relocated to the Malaysia Campus where he helped establish the first ever UK-accredited Pharmacy programme delivered, in part, outside of the UK. In 2010 he became head of the School in Malaysia and subsequently led the successful reaccreditation of the 2+2 MPharm degree by the GPhC in 2012. Professor Morris was also a founding member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, is a registered pharmacist with the GPhC and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

To apply for the MPharm Programme Director role please click here.