Change is coming to how you recruit and train your pharmacist pre-registration student

The way you recruit for your pharmacist pre-registration student (foundation) is changing. Now referred to as the foundation pharmacist programme, the only route for recruitment is through Oriel.

As part of our commitment to you, we have prepared some further information to help you prepare. Information applicable for England only.

Contents:

Latest webinar:

Initial Education and Training Pharmacist reforms 2025-2026- final update. Included in this update are the final updates regarding payment structures and key timelines. Also included are the details of your Regional Foundation Training Leads and Pharmacy Integration Leads (originally aired 23 November 2023)

Watch the rest in the series below.

Recruitment:

The recruitment for foundation year students 24/25 remains unchanged. If you have chosen to follow the Oriel route, you would already have been made aware as to whether you have a student. If you do not, you are still able to recruit through external means, including uploading an advert onto the relevant NPA webpage.

For foundation year students 25/26, the recruitment process will kick off in January 2024. Those interested in supporting a foundation pharmacist student would need to express an interest through the Oriel programme.

Designated prescribing practitioner (DPP):

As the foundation students would also be independent prescribers upon qualification, as the supervision tutor, you would also need to make available access to a DPP for at least 90 hours. This could be at your pharmacy or another sector.

Cross-sector:

We are already seeing a number of pharmacies reaching agreement with other sectors such as hospitals and GP surgeries to form cross-sector foundation placements. Whilst, this will not be mandatory for foundation student intake 25/26, it would be helpful to begin to scope how this will work for you.

Payment:

This will now be through a tariff payment that is the same for all sectors.

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

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).

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.

In addition, we will provide access to a consistent, funded training offer which will be available to all foundation trainee pharmacists across all sectors and regions.

For more information on the funding for the 2025/26 training year including Frequently Asked Questions, please visit the Implementing the Foundation Pharmacist Training Year 2025/26 page of our website, where you can also find a detailed update on the changes coming for the 2025/26 foundation training year, and the preparations that employers need to make ahead of this.

Selection process:

January 2024- March 2024, you express your interest as one who is interested in supporting a student through their foundation year. In effect this means that you will be advertising your pharmacy and highlighting why the student should be picking you.

In June 2024, the application process for students opens. The students will apply for their placement whilst choosing their placement. They will do this by ranking their preferences. (please see clinical placements)

In September 2024, the students are invited for interview. They are then ranked according to their interview outcomes, and then awarded their placements, based on a combination of their results and ranking of pharmacy.

In November 2024, the process is complete and the students officially offered their placements. They will then accept or reject.

In December 2024, you will be told the outcome.

Watch the webinar series:

Regional contacts:

NHS England WT&E – For advice and information about planning foundation trainee pharmacist places

NHS England WT&E – For advice and information about independent prescribing course places for registered pharmacists and finding a DPP

Clinical placements:

NPA members can play a key role in the formation of the new and upcoming pharmacist workforce, and that is through clinical placements. Primarily set for the student to apply much of their theoretical knowledge, the clinical placement provides the opportunity for the pharmacy owner to showcase the role of the community pharmacists in the improvement of ill-health.

Clinical placements will also form the bedrock for effective recruitment and retention of community pharmacists within your locality.

Are you interested in a clinical placement?

Clinical placements offer undergraduate pharmacists valuable experience and can lead to them becoming your pre-registration pharmacist.

Express your interest or email Helga Mangion at independentsvoice@npa.co.uk.

We will continue to populate this webpage with some further information. For any specific questions please e-mail independentsvoice@npa.co.uk