Implementing the Foundation Pharmacist Training Year 2025/26

Some changes are already under way to prepare for this: 

• Universities are rolling out revised MPharm undergraduate degrees that are aligned to the new learning outcomes and standards.
• We are taking on new responsibilities, delegated by the GPhC, for the quality management of all foundation training sites in England.
• Together with partners and stakeholders, we are working to develop our approach for the quality management of foundation training for all trainees from summer 2025.

This page provides up-to-date information on the implementation of the new standards and learning outcomes in the foundation training year from 2025. Topics covered include: Getting ready for the Foundation Training Year 2025/26, Funding for the Foundation Training Year 2025/26 and frequently asked questions about funding. 

Update on England Foundation Trainee Pharmacist Programme 2025/26 Training Offer Provision

All foundation trainee pharmacists entering the programme in 2025 will have access to a core training offer provided by NHS England, which NHS England will procure for the 2025/26 training year onwards. 

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 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.

NHS England will undertake preliminary market engagement to inform prospective suppliers about the upcoming tender and process. A preliminary market engagement notice will be issued in later Summer / Autumn 2024.

Getting ready for the Foundation Training Year 2025/26

Please refer to the resources below for key updates on the changes that will be implemented for the 2025 foundation training year. These include details of:

• How all training posts must be entered into, and recruited through, the National Recruitment Scheme (Oriel) website
• An overview of key timelines and deadlines for using the National Recruitment Scheme (Oriel) system
• The planned requirements for training sites relating to Designated Prescribing Practitioners and access to a prescribing learning environment
• Multi-sector rotations, and when they will become compulsory in the foundation training year

Useful resources

If you are planning to recruit a foundation trainee pharmacist for 2025/26 (2024 intake), please refer to the resources below:

• This main presentation will give you the facts you need to prepare now
• Watch a video tutorial on submitting 2025/26 foundation pharmacist programmes for the National Recruitment Scheme
• Find out more in Prescribing supervision and assessment in the Foundation Trainee Pharmacist Programme from 2025/26 
• Find out more in Foundation training site requirements
• Find out more in  Designated Supervisor Requirements 2025/26

Funding for the Foundation Training Year 2025/26  

As part of the implementation of the reforms to the IETP, we are harmonising the funding available to all foundation training sites hosting a foundation trainee pharmacist.  

The level of funding for each site employing a foundation trainee pharmacist in the 2025/26 training year will be £26,500 per foundation trainee pharmacist.  

This funding will be:    

• Consistent across all sectors of practice and all regions of England  

• A contribution to all costs of hosting a trainee, including supervision, administration and salary costs.   

Where a training site arranges a reciprocal multi-sector rotation with another site, with trainees being exchanged between two sites, it is intended that all of the funding is retained by the site employing the trainee, and reciprocal supervision is provided when a trainee rotates into the other site.  

Where a training site does not have access to a reciprocal rotation with another sector, they may use a portion of the funding to pay another organisation as a placement fee, for example to secure a rotation with access to a prescribing environment and Designated Prescribing Practitioner (DPP).   

In addition to this funding, we will provide access to a consistent funded training offer available to all trainee pharmacists across all sectors and regions in England.

For more information, please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions at the end of this page.

Please contact england.traineepharmacist@nhs.net with any further questions.

Funding 2025/26: Frequently Asked Questions

Please read the FAQs below for more information on funding for 2025/2026 trainee foundation pharmacists (previously pre-registration pharmacists). Contact england.traineepharmacist@nhs.net with any further questions.