Trainee Pharmacists Foundation Year – would you like to participate
Why Get Involved?
From the 2025/26 training year, all trainee Pharmacists will qualify as independent prescribers upon registration. To support this change, structured, high-quality training placements are more important than ever.
By offering a placement or employing a trainee pharmacist, your organisation can:
- 👩⚕️ Support the next generation of Pharmacists
- 💷 Access £27,295 in training support funding per trainee
- 🤝 Build stronger partnerships across Pharmacy sectors and showcase community Pharmacy as a place to work
🔄 What’s Changing?
Significant reforms have been introduced in the training of Pharmacists:
- Mandatory Recruitment via Oriel
All trainees must be recruited through Oriel, the national recruitment scheme, to be eligible for NHS England (NHSE) training support funding. - Independent Prescribing Qualification
All newly registered pharmacists will qualify as independent prescribers at the point of registration. - Multi-Sector Placements
Strongly encouraged and expected to become mandatory by 2028/29.
🏥 What Is a Multi-Sector Programme?
Multi-sector training placements provide experience in two or more sectors, each lasting 13 weeks or more.
Currently each programme must include at least 26 weeks in a patient-facing setting (e.g. community pharmacy, hospital, GP practice)
🤝 Employer vs. Placement Provider
Employer
- Employs the trainee Pharmacist directly
- Pays their salary
- Eligible to claim the £27,295 NHSE training support funding
Placement Provider
- Offers a placement as part of a multi-sector programme
- Works in partnership with the employer to deliver a full, well-rounded training experience
📅 Ready to Get Involved?
It’s now too late to join the 2026/27 training years, but we are actively planning for 2027/28.
To express interest or learn more, please contact:
📩 Caroline Quinn
Trainee Pharmacist Lead
📧 [email protected]
📚 Useful Resources
- Pharmacist Support The foundation trainee pharmacist training grant webpage
- Oriel national recruitment website
- Foundation Trainee Pharmacist National Recruitment Scheme | NHS England Workforce, Training and Education Pharmacy
- GPhC Pharmacist foundation training scheme webpage