NHS priorities

Whether it’s to prepare for the next Pharmacy Quality Scheme deadline, or to increase your confidence in helping people with a learning disability, this section provides topic-specific pages that link to current NHS priorities. This section will support you in keeping your knowledge and skills up to date in order to provide high-quality pharmacy services and be service-ready.

Clinical pharmacy

Our clinical portfolio is expanding on a frequent basis, helping you to advance your knowledge and skills and deliver medicines optimisation in practice for all sectors of pharmacy. From two new focal points a year to our small group learning for hospital pharmacists – Optimise – this section focuses on clinical pharmacy, diseases and therapeutics.

Public health

The public health agenda is embedded in pharmacy, yet topics such as emergency contraception or stop smoking support are as prevalent as ever. As well as our public health workshops, use this section to access a wide range of resources to assure and maintain your competence, all underpinned by the Declaration of Competence system.

Prescribing

Pharmacist prescribing is now established in a wide range of sectors and clinical disciplines. Prescribers enjoy independent prescribing rights for almost all medicines within their scope of competence, including controlled drugs. You can find out more about independent prescribing, as well as information about the universities that offer accredited independent prescribing and conversion courses, on the General Pharmaceutical Council website.
 
Our prescribing resources are mapped to A competency framework for all prescribers and a range of evidence-based sources on good prescribing practice. They will support you to develop and maintain your prescribing skills to improve delivery of services and patient outcomes.
 
For trainee, newly qualified and established prescribers, we have developed the Prescribing learning gateway, which supports your development as a prescriber, regardless of the stage you are at.
 
Alternatively, for prescribers who haven’t been able to actively prescribe for some time, we have introduced the Return to prescribing course, which consists of three online workshops that support you to redevelop your competence and confidence.