The RPS has launched a new curriculum for newly qualified pharmacists to develop their clinical and professional skills.

The new curriculum, announced today, is aimed at early career pharmacists working in patient-facing roles across the four UK nations and will be available from October.

It is based on the RPS Foundation Pharmacist Framework that was developed in 2019 and provides a formalised pathway for pharmacists to expand and demonstrate their competence.

The curriculum incorporates a clinical module that covers independent prescribing ‘to reflect the core changes in pharmacist practice’, alongside other skills ‘used most frequently in clinical practice and support identifying an acutely unwell or deteriorating person’.

RPS director of education, Gail Fleming, said: ‘We see this curriculum as being a bridge that will support new registrants, employers and training providers to plan early post-registration development programmes over the next five years.’

Following the structure of the GPhC initial training for pre-registration pharmacists and the advanced and consultant-level training set out by the RPS, the new pathway is split across five domains:

  • Person-centred care and collaboration
  • Professional practice
  • Leadership and management
  • Education
  • Research.

Pharmacists following the curriculum will be assigned an educational supervisor and prescribing practitioner and will compile an electronic portfolio, which is assessed by an RPS competency committee.

Those who complete the curriculum and assessment will be awarded the RPS post-registration foundation pharmacist qualification. It will provide a platform for further learning and advanced practitioner credentials.

Principal lead for post-registration foundation programmes in Scotland, Fiona McMillan, said: ‘We are absolutely delighted to relaunch the Post-registration Foundation Programme in Scotland, using the RPS UK Curriculum, which builds on the work in Scotland over the past 15 years.

‘It is fantastic the new programme includes community pharmacy and allows early career pharmacists in Scotland to participate in a robust and supported training programme for all sectors of practice and allow them to develop as independent prescribers.’

Dean of NHS Health Education and Improvement Wales, Margaret Allan, added: ‘HEIW welcomes the launch of the RPS post-registration foundation curricula. The RPS curricula will underpin the Wales new post-registration foundation programme starting September 2022.

‘The Wales programme will support newly registered pharmacists to achieve all the new initial education and training outcomes including independent prescribing accreditation.’