NHS Workforce, Training and Education (WT&E)
The Workforce, Training and Education (WT&E) directorate of NHS England (NHSE) ensures the NHS in England has a sufficient and inclusive workforce with the knowledge, skills, values and behaviours to deliver compassionate high-quality health and care to the people it serves.
You can find a range of workforce offers and support on their main website.
NHS Long Term Workforce Plan
The long awaited NHS Long Term Workforce Plan maps out a strategy to recruit and retain many thousands more staff spanning 15 years.
The plan has specific measures to support and develop the pharmacy workforce, and has given specific consideration to community pharmacy in recognition of what it describes as the sector’s ‘unique circumstances’.
Read more HERE.
Recent pharmacy specific offers & information are listed below:
Participating in the Foundation Trainee Pharmacist National Recruitment Scheme 2025 (2026 intake) via Oriel
NHS WT&E team would like to invite community pharmacies to participate in the 2025 Foundation Trainee Pharmacist National Recruitment Scheme to recruit into your Foundation Training programme(s) for the 2026-27 training year.
The National Recruitment Scheme is the only route to employing a foundation trainee pharmacist for the 2026-27 foundation training year; you are unable to recruit trainees directly.
Employer Guidance
Step 1: Updating Your Knowledge
Please read the comprehensive National Recruitment Scheme Employer Handbook, which has been developed to support employers who wish to employ foundation trainee pharmacists.
You may also find it helpful to see information submitted by employers in 2024 by viewing the ‘Pharmacy Employers and Programme Information from 2024’ document available on the employer programme information page.
Step 2: Signing up to the National Recruitment Scheme
To make your employer programme submission please access the ‘Employer Registration How-To Guide’ and online application form via the following link, paying particular attention to our advice on writing your programme description(s), as this is your main opportunity to promote your programme to potential trainees:
https://london.wtepharmacy.nhs.uk/national-recruitment/employer-registration/
You also need to read and agree to the NHS England National Recruitment Scheme Terms of Participation, and Health Education England’s Quality Framework as part of the registration process.
Once you have submitted your form, you will receive an email from noreply@holograph.digital with a copy of your submission, please check your junk mail folder if you can’t see this email.
If you are submitting multiple forms for multiple programmes (one form completion per programme) it is advisable to keep a track of which ones you have submitted and ensure you do not submit a programme which you do not plan to recruit to.
Submission Deadline
The deadline to submit your form(s) is 11.59pm on 1st March 2025. Please note late submissions will not be accepted.
Initial Education and Training of Pharmacists (IETP): Further Information
Full details on the IETP reforms and associated changes to Foundation training, including narrated presentations, pdf summaries and FAQs can be found by accessing the following website: https://www.hee.nhs.uk/our-work/pharmacy/transforming-pharmacy-education-training/initial-education-training-pharmacists-reform-programme/implementing-foundation-pharmacist
If you require further assistance please contact the East of England Pharmacy Team by emailing: england.wtepharmacy.eoe@nhs.net.
Oriel Workshop Invite
NHS WT&E will be holding Oriel workshops for those employers participating in the Foundation Trainee Pharmacist National Recruitment Scheme 2025 (2026/27 intake).
There are two MS Teams workshop opportunities to choose from:
28th January 2025 at 10:00 -11:00 am – Join here
12th February 2025 at 10:00 -11:00 am – Join here
These workshops will cover the 2025 Oriel application process for the 2026/27 Foundation Trainee Pharmacist intake. They will go through updates for this recruitment round and how to promote the programme focusing on the program description.
In December 2024 NHS England announced that multi-sector rotations during the 2026/27 Foundation Pharmacist Training Programme will not now be mandatory.
Multi-sector rotations involve at least 13 weeks of training in a different area of pharmacy practice to the one the trainee is based in. Following the publication of the General Pharmaceutical Council’s Standards for Initial Education and Training of Pharmacists (2021), NHS England mandated that multi-sector rotations would be required for all trainees starting in the 2026/27 training year.
However, mindful of the current pressures faced by pharmacy teams and the broader healthcare sector and to support pharmacy teams in continuing to deliver high quality training, NHS England has decided that mandatory rotations will be delayed and a phased approach will instead be implemented.
Read more about this in NHS England’s letter announcing the change
NHSE WT&E have published the Pharmacy Technician Workforce Development Programme document (Nov 2024).
The Pharmacy Technician Workforce Development Programme document aims to enhance the training, recruitment, retention, and professional development of pharmacy technicians in England to support the delivery of the NHS Long-Term Workforce Plan. Key goals include addressing workforce shortages, enabling healthcare reforms, and improving healthcare services across settings.
Will you be developing training plans for the 2025/26 Foundation Pharmacist Training year?
If the answer is yes, NHS WT&E team held their second Independent Prescribing Task and Finish group meeting on the 7th January 2025.
This session was for colleagues that will be developing training plans. This includes Designated Supervisors, Training Managers, Designated Prescribing Practitioners, Training Leads, Potential Designated Prescribing Practitioners and Potential Designated Supervisors.
The three sessions that took place on the 7 January 2025:
- 11:00 -12:00 – Managed sector including acute and mental health hospitals
- 14:00-15:00 – General Practice, Primary Care, Health & Justice
- 19:30 – 20:30 – Community Pharmacy
This session was a follow-up to the first task and finish group meetings that were held in Oct/Nov for the sectors indicated and NHS WT&E will revert to the regular regional Independent Prescribing working group meetings following this 2nd task and finish group meeting.
If you have any queries or would be interested in joining this group please contact: england.wtepharmacy.eoe@nhs.net
Many thanks.
East of England Pharmacy Team
NHS England Workforce Training and Education Directorate
2-4 Victoria House | Capital Park | Fulbourn | Cambridge | CB21 5XB
Website: www.england.nhs.uk
Independent Prescribing courses for pharmacists in 2024/25: Applications now open.
The ability to independently prescribe is crucial for pharmacists delivering care across the NHS. This training enables pharmacists to support patients from diagnosis to prescribing, and to provide advice and follow-up – while also helping them to feel confident and prepared for the new challenges of their role.
Fully using the clinical skills and capabilities of community pharmacists, supported by significant investment in training, is part of a concerted effort across the health system to improve access to care in local communities and address health inequalities.
NHS England are pleased to announce that applications for independent prescribing courses for Pharmacists are now open. Courses are available until end March 2025, with several universities offering multiple dates for cohort intakes. Start dates will depend on the university provider.
NHSE encourage pharmacists from across sectors, including community pharmacy and locums, to seize this opportunity.
Pharmacists who meet the eligibility criteria will be able to apply for one of the places on independent prescribing courses at a variety of universities across England:
- Community pharmacists (including locum pharmacists); Pharmacists employed in General Practice (who are not eligible for, or enrolled on, the Primary Care Pharmacy Education Programme (PCPEP) and those who are working to provide primary care services (e.g. working in primary care) who are not employed in ARRS roles); and Health and Justice pharmacists.
- Pharmacists enrolled on CPPE’s Primary Care Pharmacy Education Pathway (PCPEP) and who meet the PCPEP criteria to enrol on an independent prescribing course
- Pharmacists enrolled on CPPE’s Primary Care Pharmacy Education Pathway (PCPEP) and who meet the PCPEP criteria to enrol on an independent prescribing course
- Pharmacists working in an NHS Hospital Trust or Mental Health Trust (NHS managed sector); pharmacists working in an integrated care board (ICB), previously CCG pharmacists
Eligible pharmacists can apply to universities listed on the NHS England website.
They will need to demonstrate (as a minimum):
- The support of an identified designated prescribing practitioner (DPP).
- An appropriate practice-based learning environment in a prescribing setting that can offer appropriate clinical support.
- Evidence that you meet the course provider eligibility criteria (applicants will be subject to their chosen university’s enrolment processes).
- Commitment to use the skill within your area of competence and expertise, for the delivery of NHS clinical services as they emerge.
If you would like to know more about the General Pharmaceutical Council’s eligibility criteria for undertaking an independent prescribing course, please visit the GPhC website.
Eligible pharmacists may apply only to those universities as listed on the NHS England website. Please note: the available universities differ depending on the sector you work in.
As part of the application process, all learners will need to assure their chosen university that they meet the course requirements.
Course length and the number of face-to-face days required vary between universities. Please check the individual university webpages for further information on course format.
Funding
Independent Prescribing training is available to pharmacists who meet the eligibility criteria. Tuition fees are fully funded by NHS England. Pharmacists that are successful in applying to one of the approved universities will be allocated a fully funded place directly by the university. They do not need to apply to NHS England for funding separately.
Further information.
Please visit the NHS England website to find out more about this crucial offer, including eligibility criteria, list of approved universities and frequently asked questions.
For any further enquiries, please contact england.pharmacyteam@nhs.net
NHS England are pleased to announce new, fully funded educational supervision training for those supervising pharmacy workforce.
This training will ensure those involved in educational supervision, including Designated Supervisors (DSs), and Designated Prescribing Practitioners (DPPs), are confident to provide support and developmental aid to the pharmacy workforce across all sectors.
This new training offer provides 250 places exclusively for prospective DPPs and 250 places for other educational supervisors, including DSs, previously pre-reg tutors.
Who is eligible: Pharmacists wishing to supervise colleagues in all pharmacy sectors can apply for the educational supervision training. Regulatory changes in 2019 mean that experienced independent prescribers of any profession can apply for DPP training to support pharmacists to become independent prescribers.
About the training: The training will be delivered flexibly to accommodate work schedules and will allow learners to develop their skills and knowledge around delivering educational supervision whilst keeping patient safety and person-centred care at the forefront. Online modules are split into bite-size lessons that last 20-30 minutes.
Modules in the Educational supervision programme cover the following topics:
- Introduction to educational supervision
- Facilitating Learning
- Giving effective feedback
- Assessing & Monitoring
- Supporting trainees
Modules in the DPP programme cover the following topics:
- Introduction to DPP supervision in pharmacy
- Facilitating Learning
- Giving effective feedback
- Assessing & Monitoring
- Developing as a DPP
Assessments will include a choice of reflective account, multisource feedback, and peer observation of supervision skills.
Further information
To register for the Educational supervisor training for the pharmacy workforce, visit the ProPharmace Website.
For any further enquiries about this exciting training offer, please contact info@propharmace.com
NHS England has funded the Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE) to offer further places on their Accuracy checking pharmacy technician (ACPT) programme for pharmacy technicians.
Applications are now open with up to 10 funded places available per month and 80 funded places available in total; funding will end when all 80 places have been allocated, or by the end of March 2025.
