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NHS England practice-based assessment strategy from 2025/26
All training sites in England are required to use the NHS England foundation trainee pharmacist programme: Practice-based assessment strategy from the 2025/26 foundation training year.
As part of delegated responsibility from the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), NHS England is required to implement a consistent practice-based assessment strategy which assesses the required skills, knowledge, understanding and professional behaviours for foundation trainee pharmacists to meet the learning outcomes.
The NHS England practice-based assessment strategy (the Strategy) (Word document only, 436KB) is the primary mechanism to support this. It is compulsory that all foundation training sites in England use the strategy and associated E-Portfolio from the 2025/26 training programme onwards. It provides assurance that all foundation trainee pharmacists (trainees) are being assessed through a consistent approach across all sectors of practice in England. An executive summary (Word document only, 253KB) of the assessment strategy is also available.
The strategy contains a framework of activities which trainees must complete using a range of evidence tools. Through completion of the activities, the trainee will generate evidence against the GPhC learning outcomes, and document this within the NHS England E-Portfolio.
The assessment strategy provides:
- a range of practice-based activities (including prescribing) for trainees to demonstrate and record in the E-Portfolio. These activities allow supervisors (designated supervisors and designated prescribing practitioners) to assess the capability of the trainee, and the trainee to provide evidence against each of the GPhC learning outcomes
- evidence tools which are used to record the activities and map them to the relevant GPhC learning outcomes within the E-Portfolio, and support supervisors in assessing the trainee
The assessment strategy is designed to assess against the GPhC 2021 learning outcomes, including independent prescribing, but can also be used for trainees being assessed against the modified ‘interim’ learning outcomes (where they have graduated from an MPharm against the previous learning outcomes or from an overseas pharmacists assessment programme (OSPAP).
Activities and tools guide and indicative mapping
The foundation trainee pharmacist programme: Assessment activities and tools guide (Word document only, 271KB) provides detailed information (including examples) about the activities a trainee is expected to undertake during their foundation training and the tools they should use.
In addition, an indicative mapping of each activity against the GPhC learning outcomes is provided as a visual mapping document. There are two versions of this document, one for those on GPhC full learning outcomes (Excel sheet only, 52KB) and one for those on the GPhC interim learning outcomes (Excel sheet only, 50KB).
Development of training plans
From the 2025/26 training year, training plans must be submitted to NHS England, instead of the GPhC as in previous years. The training plan developed for each training site/programme is required to demonstrate how the assessment strategy will be implemented during the training year. More information can be found in the training plans section of this webpage.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Assessment Strategy mandatory?
Yes, irrespective of the type of programme, all training sites in England must use the NHS England practice-based assessment strategy. This ensures that all trainees are being assessed through a consistent approach across all sectors of practice in England, in accordance with the requirements of the GPhC.
It is mandatory that trainees must complete:
- all the professional development activities to a satisfactory standard
- all the observed clinical activities, including the prescribing activities. Each observed clinical activity must be recorded using a permitted supervised learning event tool a minimum of three times, demonstrated to a standard that aligns to safe and effective professional practice
Is use of the evidence tools mandatory?
Yes, the use of an approved evidence tool(s) for each activity is mandatory. The strategy describes which evidence tool(s) can be used for an activity.
Can supervised learning events be failed?
No, a supervised learning event (SLE) cannot be 'failed'. However, trainees must be assessed against each observed clinical activity a minimum of three times using a SLE, in which they must demonstrate performance that aligns with safe and effective practice, to assure the supervisor that the trainee can consistently demonstrate satisfactory performance.
A SLE is a structured evidence tool for a trainee and supervisor use to record and reflect on performance of a practice-based activity, to record which GPhC learning outcomes it provides evidence for, and agree next developmental steps.
Together, these support a trainees formative learning and development and build evidence against the GPhC learning outcomes.
This assessment activities guide indicates which GPhC learning outcomes each activity is expected to, or may, provide evidence for. It may be that you and your designated supervisor feel that an activity also provides evidence for a GPhC learning outcome that is not mapped within the activities and tools guide. This is fine, and we would welcome feedback when this situation arises so we can continually improve the guide and resources. Please contact us at england.traineepharmacist@nhs.net.