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Training offer provision
Update on England foundation trainee pharmacist programme 2025/26 training offer provision
NHS England will procure a core training offer for the 2025/26 training year onwards. It is compulsory for all foundation trainee pharmacists entering the programme in 2025 to attend the mandatory core training offer provided by NHS England.
NHS England has undertaken stakeholder engagement across all sectors of practice via a series of workshops to develop the specification for the training offer and its procurement:
- this included reviewing the new GPhC learning outcomes in the 2021 standards for the initial education and training of pharmacists to identify the areas of learning that should be prioritised and focused on in the training offer, with reference to what would be most challenging to deliver within the workplace
- it was agreed that the NHS England offer should focus on supporting trainees to develop the skills and knowledge to be able to demonstrate the learning outcomes in practice
The training offer will be designed to support trainees across all sectors of practice and will bring together trainees based in different sectors to learn together, and will include supporting the development of prescribing skills and capabilities, to further develop the knowledge and skills gained during the master of pharmacy (MPharm).
The training offer will include:
- induction to orientate trainees to the programme
- first aid training
- a series of facilitated local learning sets throughout foundation training, which will bring a group of learners together to focus on a range of themes linked to the priority learning outcomes identified through stakeholder engagement
- creation of communities of practice for trainees, to provide additional support to develop their clinical practice
The training offer will not include:
- sector specific training relating to service provision. It is expected that any training provision related to the specific needs of individual organisations or employers will continue to be provided by them, to ensure that trainee pharmacists work safely and effectively
- specific registration assessment preparation including mock assessments
- specific face to face teaching on clinical therapeutic areas. It should be noted that the online trainee pharmacist learning e-resources are available to all trainees and include a range of clinical therapeutic topics to support trainees develop their knowledge in this area
Training offer content
The England foundation trainee pharmacist programme training offer is currently undergoing procurement. The providers will be expected to deliver the following topics as part of the offer to all foundation trainee pharmacists. The offer will delivered regionally.
Professionalism in context, considering accountabilities and responsibilities as a trainee and as a future prescribing pharmacist. Including:
- legal and professional expectations of a pharmacist
- legal basis of the prescribing role
- safe and effective scope of practice as an independent prescriber
- consent and assessment of capacity
- future extension of scope of practice
- mandate to prescribe within an employed role / service
How to support patients from a range of backgrounds as a culturally competent practitioner considering diverse backgrounds and protected characteristics of patients. Including:
- physical examinations
- communication methods
- therapeutic selection
- shared decision making and person-centred care
Effective clinical reasoning / decision making including:
- clinical decision making
- diagnostic reasoning
- therapeutic selection
- shared decision making and person-centred care
- managing ambiguity
Continuing personal development, including:
- leadership in clinical context - influencing skills with other clinicians
- dealing with difficult conversations with patients, healthcare professionals and carers
- supervision: Supporting the learning and development of others, including through mentoring and providing effective feedback
- demonstrate effective management skills as part of the pharmacy and multi-disciplinary team
Learning outcome 44: Respond appropriately to medical emergencies, including the provision of first aid.
Via the facilitation of a virtual community of practice, trainees should be able to share learning and experiences in relation to developing as a prescriber. It is recognised that the trainees will undertake prescribing hours in different models in practice and the support via the communities of practice The offer should be flexible to enable all trainees, who may commence prescribing practice at different times of the year, to engage with it meaningfully.