Pharmacy employers will not have to offer multi-sector training placements in 2026/27, NHS England (NHSE) has announced.

In a letter to the sector, chief pharmaceutical officer for England David Webb and NHSE director of education quality and reform Samantha Illingworth, said they were 'mindful of the current pressures faced by pharmacy teams and the broader healthcare sector' as well as 'barriers and challenges' around creating multi-sector placements.

They said that employers intending to host a trainee pharmacist in 2026/27 must register their programme in the National Recruitment Scheme (Oriel) by early March 2025.

But the requirement to make training placements multi-sector, originally intended to begin for the 2026/27 academic year, has been delayed until the following year.

The letter continued: 'Although NHS England remains fully committed to implementing multi-sector rotations for all trainees and strongly supports continued progress toward this goal, some areas may require a phased approach, with full implementation anticipated by the 2027/28 cohort.

'The goal remains that by March 2025, the employer national recruitment deadline, most programmes will be developed to include multi-sector rotations.

'However, single-sector programmes submitted to the National Recruitment Scheme will still be eligible for the 2026/27 recruitment cycle. From March 2026 onwards, single-sector programmes will not be accepted for training programmes starting in 2027.'

Dr Graham Stretch, president of the Primary Care Pharmacy Association (PCPA), and a pharmacist partner in a general practice, said that while he recognised the pressures encountereed by all settings, he thought it was was 'disappointing we cannot build on the momentum developed for delivery of prescribing supervision and move to mandatory universal joint training'.

'Joint training improves trainee experience, builds meaningful integration between providers and ensures we are preparing our newly qualified pharmacists for current workforce requirements,' Dr Stretch told The Pharmacist.

And he urged providers to keep developing their plans and building joint training offers.

'Students are very obviously going to vote with their feet and select joint programs - if you want to fill your places, single setting offers are less attractive and less likely to be preferenced by the most talented trainees, and much more likely to remain vacant,' he said.

The letter from NHSE acknowledged 'the work pharmacy employers have invested in developing their training programmes for 2025/26, including securing access to prescribing learning environments and designated prescribing practitioners (DPPs)', which has 'already facilitated the growth of multi-sector relationships for both employers and supervisors.'

And it estimated that in 2025/26, multi-sector rotational programmes developed by employers would be available for approximately 50% of pharmacist trainees entering training.

From 2025/26, placements must provide trainees with experience in both a dispensing and a patient facing setting, with access to a designated prescribing practitioner.

NHSE pharmacy dean for London, Atif Shamim, has previously shared how placement providers across settings could collaborate to create a multi-sector placement that fulfils these training requirements.

And Dr Stretch had urged community pharmacies to begin building relationships with local primary care providers now to support prescribing training and multi-sector placements for foundation year trainees.