Funded IP training for community pharmacists

Health Education England (HEE) has published details on their initial offer of funded Independent Prescribing (IP) courses for pharmacists.

This follows on from NHS England and NHS Improvement’s announcement in November 2021 that the Pharmacy Integration Programme would invest up to £15.9 million over the next four years to boost pharmacy professional career development.

The initial offer of IP courses before March 2022 will be suitable for community pharmacists who are already in a position to apply and meet the eligibility criteria and where applicable, have agreement from their employer to apply for this funding.

Pharmacists who are not yet in a position to apply, are encouraged to prepare to apply for the main round of funded IP training that will be available from Autumn 2022.

Read more about the opportunity on the HEE website

Commenting on the announcement, Alastair Buxton, Director of NHS Services at PSNC, said:

“Independent prescribing will be at the heart of many future developments in community pharmacy services, so this initial offer is a welcome start to support community pharmacists to develop their skills, particularly those who were already planning to commence training early in 2022.

“HEE are now putting in place the next phase of this IP training programme, so there will be many more opportunities for pharmacists to access training later in the year.”