NHS England is funding, through the Pharmacy Integration Fund, the provision of post-registration training for community pharmacists through several universities until March 2020.

About the training

Learners can choose from a range of courses and modules to develop their clinical practice. The Fund will cover the tuition fees for your chosen modules up to a maximum 60 credits in a year. Pharmacists who have completed 60 credits and continue to be eligible can apply for further funded modular study, up to another 60 credits. They can choose a virtually delivered or online module from a training provider determined by content rather than geography.

The learning will encompass five strands: service improvement; extended skills; patient activation; delivering medicines optimisation; and NHS England clinical priorities.

At the end of their training, community pharmacists will have enhanced skills and experience of best practice and working within integrated multidisciplinary teams, which they are expected to take back into their healthcare community to strengthen and diversify the pharmacy workforce.

Who can access the training?

The courses are only open to post-registration community pharmacists. The core criteria for entry onto the course are:

• pharmacists must demonstrate that they are working at least 0.4 whole time equivalent days per week in a community pharmacy. Locum pharmacists must have sponsorship support from a pharmacy to access the portfolio of modules;
• employer agreement to release and support learners, including the support of work-based assessments;
• learners must be able to demonstrate the added value of their training to service delivery. For example, evidence could include working as part of Healthy Living Pharmacies with level 1 status or above or provision of existing services such as NMS, seasonal flu or locally commissioned clinical services;
• learners must commit to share information and participate in the development of case studies to demonstrate the impact of role as part of transformation of pharmacy services (and willingness for this information to be shared with third parties, eg HEE and NHS England); and
• learners must agree to be part of a future evaluation of the impact of new skills on service delivery and for all their contact details and information to be shared with third parties as necessary to facilitate this.

All learners will need to assure training providers that they meet the course requirements. Details about the course requirements can be found on each university’s website.

Pharmacists enrolled on the following NHS England service pathways are not eligible to access this post-registration training provision; this is to avoid duplication of the content and learning provision, and minimise any impact resulting from the time commitment to learning:

• Integrating Pharmacy into Urgent Care;
• Medicine Optimisation in Care Homes; and
• Clinical Pharmacists in General Practice Phase 1 and 2.

Universities offering the course

Providers are offering a portfolio of modules which community pharmacists can choose from. More information can be found on the universities’ websites:

• University of Bath
• University of Exeter (consortium partner)
• De Montfort University
• University of Keele (consortium partner)
• University of Manchester

View all available CPD units and modules, broken down by University provider

How can the training be accessed?

Pharmacists interested in taking up the training will need to contact the course provider directly.

Further information

Information about the full range of workforce development opportunities offered for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, funded by the Pharmacy Integration Fund, can be found on the HEE website.

Frequently Asked Questions

Health Eduction England has answered a number of frequently asked questions about the postgraduate training:

Q. What is funded as part of the postgraduate training offer?
The Pharmacy Integration Fund will fund eligible pharmacists to complete postgraduate training modules at designated Universities, subject to funding availability. Learners can choose from a range of courses and modules to develop their clinical practice. The Fund will cover the tuition fees for your chosen modules up to a maximum 60 credits in a year. Pharmacists who have completed 60 credits and continue to be eligible can apply for further funded modular study, up to another 60 credits.

Q. How long is the funded training available for?
Funded postgraduate training is available as part of the Pharmacy Integration Fund until March 2020. All learners must be enrolled by this point. They have until March 2021 to complete the postgraduate modules.

Q. I have completed 60 credits as part of the postgraduate training offer. Can I be funded for a further 60 credits to work towards a Postgraduate Diploma?
If you have completed the first 60 credits and continue to meet the eligibility criteria, you can be funded for a further 60 credits to gain a Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy.

Q. I have completed some modules as part of the postgraduate training offer, but less than 60 credits. Can I be funded for further postgraduate training to work towards a Postgraduate Diploma?
If you have completed any study as part of the postgraduate training offer, and continue to meet the eligibility criteria, you can enrol for further study of up to 60 credits per year until March 2020. All learners must be enrolled by this point and have until March 2021 to complete the Postgraduate modules.

Q. Can pre-registration pharmacists apply for funded training?
Only registered pharmacists can apply. You can apply as soon as you have your GPhC number and can demonstrate that you meet the eligibility criteria.

Q. I am due to register as a pharmacist in 2019. Will I be able to complete a funded Postgraduate Diploma?
Funding will be available for modular study up to a maximum 60 credits per year up until March 2020, by which point all learners must be enrolled. You will have until March 2021 to complete the Postgraduate modules.