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.

NHS CPCS essential skills

The NHS Community Pharmacist Consultation Service (CPCS) launched as an advanced service of the community pharmacy contract in October 2019.

CPPE has developed a range of learning resources for pharmacists to prepare to provide the CPCS, including a self-assessment framework, which helps you to identify gaps in your knowledge.

We have now introduced the NHS Community Pharmacist Consultation Service: essential skills programme.

The aim of the programme is to support pharmacists to develop the knowledge, skills and confidence needed to undertake effective consultations, communications and clinical assessments to provide the NHS CPCS.

The programme is made up of two components: a self-directed e-course and a single online workshop (hosted by CPPE). You must complete both components (the e-course and attend the online workshop) to meet the learning objectives below.

You need to work through materials in the e-course ahead of attending the online workshop. Significant activities that you should complete before the workshop are clearly signposted to help you get the most benefit.
(Note: we estimate these tasks to be around 10 to 12 hours of learning.)

You can revisit the e-course after the online workshop to complete any outstanding learning and use the e-course as a resource to keep you up to date.

Important note: If you have previously attended a face-to-face or online NHS Community Pharmacist Consultation service or DMIRs event hosted by either CPPE or RPS you have already completed the learning and the system will not allow you to book a place.

Once you have gained access to the e-course you can log in at any time by visiting the web address shared in your course enrolment email (you may wish to bookmark this) or by logging into Canvas.

You can access further resources to support you with delivering the NHS CPCS on our gateway page.