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.

CPPE Leading for change

Who is the course for?

Leading for Change is open to pharmacy professionals from all sectors of practice, including community pharmacy.

This fully funded leadership programme is open to anyone who has responsibility for leading a team or leading services within their organisation and would like to develop their skills further. 

Course aims

The aim of the programme is to enable you to develop the behaviours required to become an inspiring and effective pharmacy leader, equipping you with the knowledge and skills to take on challenges effectively and lead in medicines optimisation to deliver better outcomes for your patients and service users.

Course format

The programme comprises four online modules delivered over six months:

  1. Achieving your potential
  2. Developing and managing services
  3. Inspiring and achieving the best from your team
  4. Pharmacy within the wider healthcare system 
     

Each module is supported by a half-day online workshop, online discussion forums and a networking Zoom event to enable you to put your learning into practice and to allow you to network with fellow course participants. At the end of the programme you are required to submit an assignment to demonstrate how you have used your leadership skills over the course of the six months.

Course dates

There is a choice of workshop dates so that you can choose a cohort that works around your other commitments. You will need to attend all four workshops on the same day of the week to enable you to complete all parts of the programme with your online tutor and fellow cohort participants.

Full details of all cohorts available for booking can be found in the Course format and dates tab below.

Learning outcomes

On completion of the programme you should be able to:

  • reflect on your own leadership style and evaluate yourself against leadership frameworks to identify strengths and areas of development
  • describe and understand the processes involved in creating a successful team and managing its performance
  • describe national priorities and drivers for change in the NHS, pharmacy services and medicines optimisation and their implications at local level
  • develop an understanding of the wider NHS through unique experiences
  • lead on a project that delivers on the priorities of your pharmacy, department or organisation
  • identify opportunities for further leadership development according to identified learning needs.

Who can apply?

Any pharmacy professional who has responsibility for leading people or services within their organisation. The only exception is those currently undertaking of one of the NHS education pathways (CPGPE, MOCH or PCPEP) as leadership is included in these pathways.

We expect participants to have a foundation in leadership, either through completion of a previous leadership programme or through a number of years' experience as a leader.

Suggested prior learning includes the NHS Leadership Academy’s Edward Jenner programme, CPPE programmes such as Life skills - developing your potential e-course, or equivalent in-house training.

Participants must meet the following criteria:

  1. Be working at, or towards, advanced level practice
  2. Desire to be working in a leadership role
  3. Have identified leadership as an area for development 
  4. Be responsible for managing staff and/or services
  5. Have the support of their line manager
  6. Have identified and agreed an appropriate workplace mentor

Course format and dates

Leading for Change comprises four online modules, delivered over six months each supported by a compulsory online workshop and optional networking Zoom Room. To successfully complete the course, you need to attend all four workshops, contribute to the discussion forums and complete a written assignment to demonstrate how you have put your learning from the programme into practice.

Key dates for cohorts 16A, 16B, 17A, 17B, 18A and 18B are outlined below:

Cohorts 16 and 17 are now open for booking. Cohort 18 will open for booking on Monday 4 September 2023.

 

Cohort 16A

  • Access to course: Friday 1 September 2023
  • Official start date: Monday 18  September 2023
  • Workshop dates: Monday afternoons (12:30pm to 3:00pm): 18 September 2023, 6 November 2023, 8 January 2024, 4 March 2024
  • Course ends: Friday 1 April 2024 
  • Assignment due: Monday 6 May 2024

Cohort 16B

  • Access to course: Friday 1 September 2023
  • Official start date: Monday 18  September 2023
  • Workshop dates: Wednesday mornings (9:30am to 12:00pm): 27 September 2023, 15 November 2023, 17 January 2024, 6 March 2024
  • Course ends: Friday 1 April 2024 
  • Assignment due: Monday 6 May 2024

Cohort 17A

  • Access to course: Friday 1 September 2023
  • Official start date: Monday 2 October 2023
  • Workshop dates: Thursday afternoons (12:30pm to 3:00pm): 5 October 2023, 23 November 2023, 25 January 2024, 14 March 2024
  • Course ends: Friday 19 April 2024 
  • Assignment due: Monday 13 May 2024

Cohort 17B

  • Access to course: Friday 1 September 2023
  • Official start date: Monday 2 October 2023
  • Workshop dates: Tuesday mornings (9:30am to 12:00pm): 10 October 2023, 28 November 2023, 30 January 2024, 19 March 2024
  • Course ends: Friday 19 April 2024 
  • Assignment due: Monday 13 May 2024

Cohort 18A

  • Access to course: Wednesday 1 November 2023
  • Official start date: Monday 20 November 2023
  • Workshop dates: Tuesday afternoons (12:30pm to 3:00pm): 21 November 2023, 16 January 2024, 12 March 2024, 7 May 2024
  • Course ends: Friday 31 May 2024 
  • Assignment due: Monday 1 July 2024

Cohort 18B

  • Access to course: Wednesday 1 November 2023
  • Official start date: Monday 20 November 2023
  • Workshop dates: Thursday mornings (9:30am to 12:00pm): 30 November 2023, 25 January 2024, 21 March 2024, 16 May 2024
  • Course ends: Friday 31 May 2024 
  • Assignment due: Monday 1 July 2024 

Insight webinars

You will be given an opportunity to attend an Insight webinar delivered by a national organisation such as: NHSE&I, CQC, NICE and Specialist Pharmacy Service to understand more about the organisation.

This is an optional part of the programme and therefore places are limited. More information on the Insight webinars, including dates, times and how to book a place, will be provided when you enrol on the programme.

All 2023 Insight webinars will be delivered via Zoom.

Networking and local learning

A key part of the programme will be to build your networks in pharmacy and across the wider NHS. This will be achieved by attending the online workshops, contributing to the discussion forums and by joining Zoom chats to network with others on the cohort.

Those who are geographically close to each other may also choose to set up local learning sets to allow further networking and sharing of best practice in a region.

Mentoring

Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians participating in the programme will be required to find a mentor. This will be a trusted colleague who is more senior than them in their organisation who can act as a sounding board and provide support and guidance to further develop their career and networks.

Programme handbook

The programme handbook is available here.

Apply now

Apply here

Please be aware that applications may take up to two weeks to be approved. 

Cohort 16A (September 2023 – Monday mornings)
Cohort 16B (September 2023 – Wednesday afternoons)

Cohort 17A (October 2023 – Thursday afternoons)
Cohort 17B (October 2023 – Tuesday mornings)

Cohort 18A (November 2023 Tuesday afternoons)
Cohort 18B (November 2023 – Thursday mornings)