Background

NHS England commissions the Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE) to provide compulsory training for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians whose salaries are being supported with the Additional Role Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) finding. This training pathway is the Primary care pharmacy education pathway.

NHS England has agreed that places remaining for a cohort not taken by pharmacy professionals in ARRS funded roles can be made available to pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in non-PCN roles in GP practices or care homes if their the employer agrees to provide the necessary support.

Who is eligible for the training programme?

The training is for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians who want to develop or advance their skills and knowledge to deliver patient-facing medicines optimisation and other services in general practice and care homes settings.

Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians must meet the following criteria:

• Be already working in a patient-facing primary care role for a minimum of about 0.5 wte (2.5 18.75 hours per week) in a GP practice or care home setting. Any less than this and the number of days study leave becomes a burden for the practice.

• Have the support of their employer who agrees to: o release the pharmacist or pharmacy technician for 28 days of protected learning time for face-to-face events during the pathway, regardless of the number of days per week they are working to provide a GP (or other medic) clinical supervisor for pharmacists and an experienced pharmacist clinical supervisor for pharmacy technicians providing. Each pharmacist or pharmacy technician should receive a minimum of one clinical supervision session per month and have access to the clinical supervisor during the course of the working week to address urgent issues. There is a handbook for clinical supervisors on the CPPE website which explains the role. Clinical supervisors would be expected to take part in the CPPE clinical supervisor training (two short online workshops).

• Ensuring the pharmacy professional’s role includes patient-facing work o support the pharmacy professional with travelling expenses for pathway events o support the pharmacist through their independent prescribing training at the end of the CPPE pathway (including the supervision required) if they are not already independent prescribers

• Be able to attend face to face events, including residential study days over the 18 months and be able to stay overnight for the residential events

• Be able to commit to studying in their own time for up to 30 days during the pathway, as well as attending all the pathway events.

  
  

How long is the training and what does it cover?

The training is an 18-month workplace-based model for pharmacists and 15 months for pharmacy technicians). Find out more on the CPPE website.

How do pharmacists or pharmacy technicians and their employers apply for the training?

Pharmacy professionals apply for the training through the CPPE website and must upload a completed CPPE supporting statement form where it asks for the proof of employment as well as a CV. The supporting statement form can be downloaded from the CPPE website.

This form must include a description of why the pharmacist or pharmacy technician would benefit from the training pathway and how the employer is planning to support the development of the pharmacist’s patient-facing role (no more than 200 words).

Applications can be made at any time but they will not be approved until CPPE knows that there are places remaining for the cohort which will be about two weeks before the start of the cohort.

Contact details

More information about the Primary care pharmacy education pathway can be found on the CPPE website or by emailing primarycare@cppe.ac.uk

Further Information