One of the most reputable providers of pre-reg training is Alliance Boots; three recent cases involving this company have caused the PDA to question the judgement of a small number of tutors and the quality of support available to those students whose tutors have concerns about their performance.
All three students who contacted the PDA Union were overseas students and successful registration as a pharmacist was crucial to their ability to stay and work in the UK. Any failure meant a risk of deportation back to their home country.
The PDA Union was contacted by three Alliance Boots pre-regs who had all been informed in June or July 2011 that they were not going to be signed off by their tutors as suitable to register as a pharmacist. The company was therefore terminating their employment on the grounds of capability. This had come as a terrible shock to all of them, as only weeks previously, all three had been signed off as satisfactory at the 39 weeks appraisal stage. One student was informed that the company would not contemplate extending the training period to help him reach the standards expected. Another was initially offered extended training time which was subsequently cut short and the date of termination brought forward. The final student was offered an extension but then learnt it would be a futile exercise as the tutor indicated she would never agree to sign him off regardless of any extension.
The 39 weeks appraisal is a key milestone in a pre-reg student’s training. A satisfactory sign off permits entry to the exam and is a clear indication that progress towards a final sign off at 52 weeks is on track. The GPhC gives unequivocal guidance in their tutor information pack as follows:- A satisfactory Progress report 3 is vital for the trainee to be eligible to take the Registration Examination. Therefore, if you do not feel confident that the trainee is ready to take the Examination or that they are not at the appropriate level based on 39 weeks of training, then you should not mark their Progress report 3 as satisfactory.
One student who contacted the PDA early on, wanted to exercise his right to take a PDA Union representative into the meeting convened to terminate his employment. However he reported being given confusing information by company managers about his right to have representation at this meeting and was then placed under unwarranted pressure to attend on his own. The PDA Union intervened to ensure he was able to attend the meeting properly represented. After robust submissions were made by the Union representative about misleading and contradictory information the student had been given, the company backed down and agreed that his training would be extended to allow an opportunity for him to demonstrate the standards required.
The other two students unfortunately only contacted the PDA weeks after they had already been dismissed; however even at this late stage the PDA Union team felt they could rescue the situation and help these individuals who faced a very uncertain future. The PDA Union immediately wrote to the pharmacy superintendent to alert him to what appeared to be failings in the quality of support provided to some pre reg students in Alliance Boots, and individual grievances were also submitted. The students attended grievance meetings accompanied by a senior PDA representative specialising in pre reg issues, who drew attention to apparent failures in the level of support provided by the company and their tutors in these particular cases. The key question to resolve was why had students, who had earlier been graded as satisfactory at a key assessment stage, unexpectedly found themselves facing dismissal by the company with limited or no opportunity to have additional training.
Supported by the PDA Union, the students provided an account of their experience to a senior company manager who agreed to investigate what had happened. The Union representative was able to highlight documentary evidence which backed up the students claims that the level of support provided by their tutors was not sufficient. Communication problems were given as one of the reasons these students were not being signed off and further information was requested about this at the meeting. The students also wanted reassurance that less favourable treatment due to their race was not a factor and an information request was submitted to the company seeking data about the ethnic origin of other students within the company who had had their employment terminated after a satisfactory 39 week appraisal.
From the students’ description to us of their training and the results of preliminary investigations completed by the company that we have seen, there appeared to be very little structured or documented support provided after the 39 weeks stage to help the pre reg improve their performance in areas they were felt to be having difficulties in. One student whose first language was English and had been recruited through a telephone interview was told that customers had repeatedly complained they could not understand him, but yet he was never informed of this problem until late into his training, nor were any specific examples provided.
The company’s approach to this apparent problem was to tell him to watch some English movies. The other student found that it was almost impossible to take training time because of the requirements to help out in the dispensary when they were short of staff or busy. This caused him problems when trying to keep on top of the huge amount of work needed to progress through the training programme.
One student had been receiving a series of letters congratulating her on being selected to join the company as a permanent pharmacist, only for this offer to be abruptly withdrawn a few weeks later in a letter from a Professional Resourcing Manager containing the following text;
“Please be aware that that this means we will inform the Home Office that as of the 1st September 2011 you will no longer be eligible to work in the UK under your current visa provision. Meanwhile may we take this opportunity to wish you every success in the future.”
She was understandably confused by the mixed messages she was receiving. Company letters confirming a job offer based upon her performance and a managerial recommendation were complimentary about her skills and qualities, but yet her tutor was now saying she would not be signed off at all.
The investigations took a number of weeks and the PDA was disappointed that it had to repeatedly chase the investigating managers for a response. In finally reaching its decision, although Alliance Boots did not concede that the training and support provided was insufficient, it did admit that company communications were “conflicting and confusing”, there was a lack of documentation outside formal appraisals, insufficient consideration was given to extending employment and recognition that a tutor did not follow GPhC guidance when conducting appraisals. Most importantly both students were offered reinstatement back into the company training programme with a different tutor. The company took 6 weeks from the initial request to provide a response to the request for data on the race of other pre reg students terminated in similar circumstances. Alliance Boots vigorously denied that discrimination was factor in the treatment of these students.
Although it was only after the intervention of the PDA Union, to the company’s credit it did offer to reinstate the pre regs back into employment with another tutor and backtracked on its decision to refuse extended training time. Hopefully the intervention of the PDA Union in these cases will prompt a review within the company to ensure that no other student will have to go through the same experience in the future.
Whilst these three students were employed by Alliance Boots, similar problems can arise in other companies. At the earliest sign of problems it is important to involve the PDA union if a pre-reg feels there may be issues with their training or that they may not be able to register at the end of their training.
Top Tips
- Many organisations stipulate that a pre reg is entitled to a number of ‘ring-fenced’ hours per week protected training time to be agreed with the tutor. It is the responsibility of the pre reg to take this time and seek help from the tutor or teacher practitioner if it is proving difficult to take this.
- Any appraisal that indicates progress is less than satisfactory should be taken very seriously. A student should meet regularly with their tutor to agree an action plan to address any shortfalls in performance. This plan should be regularly reviewed to ensure progress is being made and any training identified has been implemented.
- If a student is invited to a termination meeting to consider their employment being ended, it is imperative that the PDA Union is contacted at an early stage. Early involvement of the PDA Union can often help resolve problems and ensure that the interests of the pre reg are protected.
Article published in Insight Winter 2011