Implementing the Foundation Pharmacist Training Year 2025/26

What is the funding for the Trainee Pharmacist Foundation year 2025/26?

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.

Why are these changes being made?

In January 2021, the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) published the revised Standards for the Initial Education and Training of Pharmacists.

This means, from September 2026, all newly registered pharmacists who have been educated under the new standards will enter the workforce with the training, skills and confidence to provide a range of clinical care to patients, including prescribing of medicines.

NHS England is currently working to implement these reforms in England, with major changes happening in the 2025/26 foundation training year (previously known as the pre-registration training year).

As part of the changes, for the first time, in the 2025/26 training year, all foundation training sites will be required to meet the same quality standards, and NHS England is taking on new responsibilities, delegated by the GPhC, for the quality assurance of all foundation training sites.

As a result, to support provision of an equitable offer to all trainees, we are harmonising the funding available to all foundation training sites hosting a foundation trainee pharmacist (previously known as pre-reg 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. 

When will this funding be available?

This funding will be available for training sites employing a foundation trainee pharmacist for the 2025/26 foundation training year onwards.

Will NHS England set the salary that a trainee pharmacist must be paid?

No, each employer must work to its own organisational requirements relating to salary of a foundation trainee pharmacist.

Do I have to recruit through the National Recruitment Scheme (Oriel) for the 2025/26 foundation training year?

Yes, for the 2025/26 foundation training year, all foundation trainee pharmacists must be recruited through the National Recruitment Scheme (Oriel) system.

There will be no arrangements for approval of training sites or funding of training sites outside of this process.

How will the foundation trainee pharmacist funding be paid?

For employers in the NHS Managed Sector (e.g. NHS Trusts ) the existing payment mechanism will continue.

For community pharmacy employers, the payment mechanism will continue to be via the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) Manage Your Service (MYS) system.

What else is being offered?

NHS England will provide access to a consistent, funded training offer in the foundation training year, which will be available to all foundation trainee pharmacists across all sectors and regions. The full specification is still subject to further development, but will cover the following:

- Induction Day to orientate trainees to the programme

- Establishment of communities of practice for trainees, to provide additional support to develop their prescribing practice (currently under exploration)

- Online learning materials to support delivery of the Learning Outcomes

- First Aid training

Please note: This national provision does not include training related to site-specific service provision. 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 offer safe and effective patient care.

Do I have to pay for any training course for my trainee foundation pharmacist out of the £26,500 funding?

No, a funded training course will be provided by NHS England which will be accessible by all foundation trainee pharmacists regardless of sector or region.

Do I have to provide access to a multi-sector rotation for my foundation trainee pharmacist?

For the 2025/26 foundation training year, you do not have to include a multi-sector rotation, although it is strongly encouraged to include this wherever possible.

However, you do need to be able to provide access to a Designated Prescribing Practitioner (DPP) and a prescribing learning environment.

If you do not have access to a DPP and prescribing environment in your main training site, then a rotation into another site is likely to be the best way to provide this for your foundation trainee pharmacist.

From the 2026/27 foundation training year onwards, it will be compulsory to include a 13-week multi-sector rotation.

Can I use some of the £26,500 funding to pay a placement fee to another site to provide a multi-sector rotation or access to a prescribing environment / Designated Prescribing Practitioner?

Yes, it is intended that a portion of the funding you receive can be used to pay another site to host your foundation training pharmacist on a rotation.

For example, you could use £1,000 to £1,500 of the funding you receive to pay another site as a placement fee to support supervision during a rotation of up to 13 weeks.

If I have arranged a reciprocal multi-sector rotation with another training site (where two trainees are exchanged between training sites), do I need to pay the other site?

No, it is intended that if two separate training sites (each employing a foundation trainee pharmacist) agree to multi-sector rotations between those two sites – with foundation trainee pharmacists effectively being exchanged between sites (e.g. for a 13 week rotation) – each training site retains the full funding amount.

With this model of reciprocal placements, it is not intended that any funding is ‘paid on’ to the rotational site.

Who pays the salary of the foundation trainee pharmacist while they are on a multi-sector rotation?

The employing organisation will continue to pay the salary of the foundation trainee pharmacist during any multi-sector rotation.