Becoming an Independent Prescriber

Why should I become an independent prescriber?

There is a pressing need to upskill the pharmacy workforce in clinical skills, including prescribing, so that all sectors can work together to provide the services patients need in their preferred setting. A large part of this involves primary care, especially community pharmacies, being ready and able to provide clinical services that may include the need to prescribe (please see the Pharmacy Integration Programme page for more information).

Independent Prescribing pilots or 'Pathfinders' are currently underway to explore prescribing services and how they might be commissioned across community pharmacies in the future.

From September 2026 all newly qualified pharmacists will be independent prescribers on the day of registration.

“When I look back now after almost completing my prescribing course, I feel the skills of conducting an effective consultation, building a rapport with the patient, physical examinations as well as the hours spent on perfecting my portfolio have made a massive impact on my role, not only as a future prescriber but also as a pharmacist. I have grown in my confidence to approach any area of practice, becoming a valued member of the team and the skills I have learnt are transferrable to any aspect of my career.”

Fatima Dhalla, St Bernard's Hospital, West London NHS Trust

What are the skills and experience required to be an independent prescriber?

In order to qualify as an independent prescriber, you must complete a GPhC-accredited course. On successful completion, you will receive a practice certificate in independent prescribing, making you eligible to apply for annotation as an Independent Prescriber (IP).

Entry requirements for independent prescribing courses are set out in GPhC standards for the education and training of pharmacist independent prescribers. Applicants must:

• Be registered as a pharmacist with the relevant regulator in their country of practice
• Be in good standing with their regulator(s)
• Have relevant experience* in a UK pharmacy setting and be able to recognise, understand and articulate the skills and attributes required by a prescriber to act as the foundation of their prescribing practice whilst training
• Have identified an area of clinical or therapeutic practice on which to base their learning
• Have a Designated Prescribing Practitioner (DPP) who has agreed to supervise their learning in practice

Course providers may stipulate additional entry requirements, so it is best to check the full entry requirements with your chosen place of study.

What support can an I expect as an IP learner?

Course providers will support you through the process of becoming an independent prescriber. Examples of the type of support you may be given include:

• An induction to the role at the start of the course. This usually includes a description of the course, documentation to be completed and your responsibilities as a learner
• The contact details of course staff and an invitation to contact them whenever you feel support is needed. You will usually have access to a named tutor
• Access to the course provider’s online learning platform and/or the course handbook
• An opportunity to seek advice during the three tripartite meetings 

Peer support is also very important. You may be able to access a forum, network or community of practice, via your course provider, employer NMP lead or your local Integrated Care Board (ICB) – or you could start something yourself!

It is also important to have the support of your employer, as IP training can be mentally taxing and physically tiring. See the information below on the benefits of being a prescriber and gaining employer support for more ideas.

“I can truly see the benefit of a non-medical prescriber whilst on the ITU ward round. I feel empowered and more confident when making clinical decisions. The IP course has also allowed us to be more integrated within the multidisciplinary team’”

Mobeen Nawaz, Lead Pharmacist for Ophthalmology, undertaking the IP qualification, Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust 

More Frequently Asked Questions

How do I gain my employer’s support in becoming an Independent Prescriber?

Take a look at the employer section listed at the end of this page. Help your employer to understand the benefits of supporting you to develop as a prescriber and clinician and the benefits prescribing could bring to your service and patients. Allow your employer to voice any concerns and agree to research how these can be minimised.

Read about the experiences of other prescribers and case studies of different models of supervision to help you.

Talk to a course provider who may be able to give you examples of how previous learners have co-developed, with their employer, a way of ensuring your learning has minimal impact on the workload of the team, practice or pharmacy.

“As my confidence has grown as a prescriber, I have been able to benefit many patients through discussion and mutual decision making to initiate, adjust and stop medications. Patients and other members of the healthcare team have really valued my input and skills. Whilst I still prescribe from my initial specialist scope, I have also expanded my prescribing range to include medicines optimisation which was identified as a service need within my organisation. Becoming a prescriber certainly ignited a new energy in me for my role in patient care and expanded my future career possibilities.”

Maria Staines, Darrent Valley Hospital, Kent 

Will I need a Designated Prescribing Practitioner?

Yes, you will need to have suitable supervision arrangements in place, including an identified DPP, prior to applying for an IP course. It is therefore important that you understand the role of a DPP, so that you can discuss this with a potential DPP. Find out more about becoming a DPP at the end of this page. 

I am less than two years qualified, can I become an independent prescriber?

Updated guidance from the GPhC means that a pharmacist no longer needs to have two years of practice and relevant experience in a specific clinical or therapeutic area to enrol in an independent prescribing course. For more information, please visit the GPhC website.

It is important that you check this eligibility criteria with the course provider prior to applying.

How do I apply for funded IP training? 

Universities are taking applications now. Please see our Independent Prescribing page for more information.

Can I apply to a university in a different part of the country from where I live? 

Yes, there are no geographical restrictions on where learners can apply. You can therefore apply to a university that is in a different region to where you live or work.

I am concerned about the cut-off date for applications and missing out on an opportunity to apply

Providers will have different cohort start dates and cut-off dates for application and may extend deadlines for the autumn cohorts, so there is no single deadline. You will be able to apply for the next cohort which will be most suitable for you.

I have an IP qualification but haven’t used it. How can I regain my competence?

More advice can be found in CPPE’s leaflet: Return to Prescribing

Are there any additional resources to support my journey as an IP in pharmacy?

You can access several resource points, including:

• Your course provider will have additional support resources, please discuss this with your course tutor/lead
• The Royal Pharmaceutical Society also has resources and guides for independent prescribers
• CPPE offer a range of resources via their prescribing gateway

Designated Prescribing Practitioners

What is the role of a DPP?

A DPP is a healthcare professional in Great Britain or Northern Ireland with legal independent prescribing rights who supervises a health care professional during their IP course and provides ‘sign-off’ on their competency to prescribe.

The DPP will supervise you during your course and help you to develop your practice and competence.

For more information on the specific activities that a DPP is required to undertake and any training may be available to help experienced prescribers act as your DPP, please see the ' Becoming a DPP' section at the end of this page.

How do I find a DPP?  

We would advise you to consider who you might be able to approach locally. For example, do you have a good working relationship with a local general practice, primary care network (PCN) or hospital trust who would be prepared to support you? You may be able to obtain further advice or support from colleagues who are already prescribers, the community pharmacist lead for your Primary Care Network (PCN), your local Primary Care Training Hub or Integrated Care Board (ICB).

NHS England are supporting the development of databases of DPPs.

Usually, a DPP must:

• Have current professional registration and be prescribing within their scope of practice
• Be an experienced Independent Prescriber ‘who would normally have’ at least 3 years of recent prescribing experience
• Be an active prescriber who makes prescribing decisions based on clinical assessment with sufficient frequency to maintain competence
• Have appropriate knowledge and experience relevant to the learner’s scope of clinical practice
• Be able to evidence Continuous Professional Development (CPD) or revalidation relevant to their role
• Have experience of, or training in, teaching and/or supervising in practice
• Be in a patient-facing role

Can I have a DPP who works in a different setting from me?

Learners and their supervisor(s) must be together in a clinical setting for the specified time required (supervised time in practice). This may involve the learner spending time in the supervisor(s)’ setting, as long as the patient cohort and type of activity aligns to their proposed scope of practice.

Consider, therefore, how much time can be spent supervising the learner’s practice, either in their setting or your own, and whether this will meet the course provider’s requirements.

If your potential DPP would like to know more about how the supervision would work, please signpost them to the DPP section below or to our case studies of novel models of supervision.