PCA(P)(2021)15 - Post-Registration Foundation Pharmacy Programme

Published: 07/10/21

This Circular sets out the arrangements for the Community Pharmacy NHS Post Registration Training Programme and instructions for community pharmacy contractors on completion of grant applications.

Background

NHS Circular PCA(P) (2021) 5, issued 8 April 2021 provided initial details of the Community Pharmacy Post Registration Training Programme. As part of the financial settlement for 2021/22, the Scottish Government and Community Pharmacy Scotland agreed on an annualised funding pot of £1.440 million to be made available.

Detail

There will be up to 130 places made available for this programme which is estimated to take around two and a half years to complete. The summative assessment of each trainee’s portfolio of evidence will be undertaken by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS).

The full programme includes completion of the NHS Education for Scotland (NES) Evidence Framework, development of an online portfolio through Supervised Learning Events (SLEs) that support the identification of learning needs, completion of an IP course and submission of the portfolio for assessment by a Clinical Competence committee chaired by the RPS.

On successful completion of the assessment the Foundation programme pharmacist would receive credentials from the RPS indicating they had completed the NES Post Registration Foundation programme plus an IP course. 6. Community pharmacy contractors who provide support to early years pharmacists through the programme, as outlined in this circular, will be eligible for a £24,000 training grant (£1,000pcm) over 2 years for each of their employed newly qualified pharmacists who apply for and are accepted on to the NES PostRegistration Foundation Programme. This programme also includes the completion of an Independent Prescribing course at a Scottish University (subject to successful application), for which there is additional, separate funding to support course requirements.

Principles

Intakes will consist of post-registration pharmacists qualifying in the summer of each year who are then employed as a pharmacist in a permanent role by a Scottish NHS community pharmacy contractor, listed on the Boards pharmaceutical list. If demand from this cohort is not sufficient to fill the available spaces, eligibility may then be extended to other early years pharmacists.

Foundation pharmacists (FPs) and Educational Supervisors (ESs) should be supported with time to complete course requirements, with backfill funded by the associated training grant. The Programme delivery agreement will be built from data provided by NES Pharmacy and RPS which gives an indication of the time required to complete programme elements. Although there will be set dates for NES-run sessions, it is up to contractors to work with their trainees and tutors to plan support across the duration of the programme. Contractors should not be financially disadvantaged as a result of supporting a Foundation Programme pharmacist and Educational Supervisor, including if a trainee leaves their employment.

To minimise administration, the flow of funding will continue uninterrupted if a Foundation Programme pharmacist defers training, with the employer re-starting the agreed support on their return (e.g. career break, ill health, maternity etc). The trainee must still intend to complete the programme. This would also be the case on the rare occasion that a Foundation Programme pharmacist does not secure a place on an independent prescribing course on first application – so long as they intend to reapply at a later date and complete their post-registration foundation training. Any contractor with a Foundation Programme pharmacist who simply takes longer than average to complete the programme will not receive any additional funding.

If a Foundation Programme pharmacist leaves their employment or permanently leaves the programme for any other reason, the contractor should notify Practitioner Services as soon as is possible, and the associated funding will cease.

Details of the NES Pharmacy Post Registration Foundation Programme and community pharmacy training grant terms and conditions are set out at Annex A. Community pharmacy contractors must ensure they have read and understood the requirements of the programme.

Community pharmacy contractors must complete the participation template at Annex B confirming participation in the programme and agreement to the training grant terms and conditions. A participation template must be completed for each Foundation Programme pharmacist entered onto the programme from the organisation and only submitted on acceptance onto the programme. Similarly, community pharmacy contractors must complete a ‘termination of participation’ template attached at Annex C for any reasons outlined in the grant terms and conditions. These forms should be returned to NSS Practitioner and Counter Fraud Services, electronically using the email address noted on each template.