NHS England has introduced the Newly Qualified Pharmacist pathway, designed to bridge the gap between initial education and post-registration development for pharmacists across all sectors of pharmacy.

The pathway is intended to help pharmacists make the transition to more independent, self-directed learning, says NHSE, by acting as a stepping-stone towards enhanced and advanced practice. It has four core elements:

• E-Portfolio – helping learners assess, plan and reflect on their development
• Curriculum – taught in line with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s post-registration foundation pharmacist curriculum
• Learning resources – a virtual library of curated learning resources designed to support the professional development of newly qualified pharmacists and complement resources already available locally to pharmacists
• Supervision access – for pharmacists working for Boots UK, NHSE will contribute a fee for each learner signed up to the pathway to support the provision of educational supervision. For those in community pharmacy (excluding Boots UK) supervision is funded via the CPPE Newly Qualified Pharmacist Programme. Learners registered on the programme will benefit from fully funded access to supervision.

One of the primary goals of the pathway is to develop prescribing competence among pharmacists. By aligning with the learning outcomes of the RPS curriculum, the pathway helps newly qualified pharmacists acquire the skills and competences required to prepare for a prescribing course, says NHSE.

Details about eligibility, timelines, funding and enrolment can be found here.