Director of National Transformational Programmes at Health Education England (HEE)

Patient care and service delivery in the NHSare changing rapidly – and it is vital that professions across the workforce are able to evolve at the same pace.

Pharmacist and pharmacy technician roles are a perfect example of this. Demand is growing forautonomous and patient-facing practitioners, so it has never been more important for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians tobe integrated into – and thrive in - multidisciplinary healthcare teams.

In this context, Health Education England, NHS England, and Improvement recently announced thatpharmacists and pharmacy techniciansare set to benefit from a further investment of up to £15.9m over the next four years. The Pharmacy Integration Programme will allow for the expansion of frontline pharmacy staff in primary and community care, to meet the needs of patients and local communities.

This funding will enhance registered pharmacy professionals’ skills, through a range of training and development opportunities.

The programme is part of a wider education reform for pharmacy professionals. Work is also underway to identify and map career pathways for pharmacy professionals as they work across sectors and increasingly within multi-professional integrated health and care teams.

HEE, NHSEngland, and Improvement will work in partnership to deliver the programme which includes:

● Developing a formal portfolio recognition process to identify the existing skills, training, and experience gained by pharmacists working in primary care, allowing them to work more flexibly and better support GP services.  

● Training in independent prescribing for pharmacists working in general practice and community pharmacy. We will work with accredited training providers, employers and pharmacists to establish course capacity and system interest.

● Developing course accreditation processes to increase access to clinical training courses for pharmacy technicians in primary care.

● Extending and expanding clinical examination skills training for community pharmacists.Such training equips pharmacists to gather clinical information to support the resolution of minor illness symptoms, medication issues, improve history taking, and deliver self-care advice and treatment for patients presenting to community pharmacies.

● Increasing access to educational, prescribing, and clinical supervisors for pharmacy professionals working and training across primary care and community sectors.

These changes – which started from 2021 – will ensure that pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, their teams and pharmacy services are better equipped to support wider healthcare delivery and provide even safer clinical care to patients.

This important investment in post-registration clinical skills and support will make a big difference to the pharmacy workforce and career development in primary care.

The new development programmes are part of a major reform of pharmacy education and training pathways, led by HEE, to respond to the changing nature of patient care and service delivery in the NHS. 

New funded programmes will foster a range of skills and experiences to help pharmacists and pharmacy technicians take a crucial role in multidisciplinary healthcare teams, and meet the demand for clinical care skills, prevention of ill-health, and optimal outcomes from medicines in all NHS settings and at home.