Develop your prescribing knowledge, skills and confidence with our flexible learning programme for pharmacists at every stage of their prescribing journey.
Building your prescribing skills and confidence
Pharmacists across the UK are now being asked to provide clinical care from their first day of registration, to make prescribing a bigger part of their practice.
It’s a big ask. So, to support you as a prescriber and RCPharm member, we are offering a new Prescribing Development Programme of education and learning materials.
Why I should sign up to the prescribing programme?
The RCPharm prescribing programme is a comprehensive learning programme available as part of your RCPharm membership. It covers all aspects of being a prescriber: from getting started and first steps, to the practical challenges and nuances of prescribing in an area of practice, all the way to your next steps in your prescribing career.
Whether you’re new to prescribing, an experienced prescriber, or are a long-time prescribing pharmacist exploring your next steps, our prescribing programme will help you. It has been created by experts and is suited to prescribing pharmacists in all sectors of practice.
You do not have to be working as a prescriber already — in fact, you might be looking at getting started, or might be considering returning to prescribing after a gap.
Our Prescribing Programme is for RCPharm members who are:
Pharmacists planning to train as prescribers who want to build their prescribing knowledge and skill.
Prescribers returning to practice or changing or expanding their scope of practice.
Qualified prescribers who have recently qualified and are starting their prescribing practice.
Prescribers wanting to build their knowledge and skill.
Foundation trainees thinking about their future prescribing practice.
What happens once I sign up?
Once you sign up to the RCPharm Prescribing Development Programme, we will email you regularly with details of each new learning activity. Details of the activities are available for each theme below.
What will I get from the Prescribing Development Programme?
Our programme is designed to make you a better prescribing pharmacist, giving you the confidence to practice at the very best of your abilities, and ultimately benefit people in your care.
You’ll get:
A deeper level of prescribing-related knowledge and skills
Clinical and non-clinical knowledge and skills related to prescribing
Ongoing support and development throughout to help in your prescribing practice.
How does the programme work?
Our flexible programme offers a pick-and-choose approach to meet your individual learning needs. It’s designed to adapt to your requirements and fit your personal and professional schedule.
This was published when the organisation was the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.
The Core Advanced e-Portfolio is aligned to our core advanced pharmacist curriculum and allows you to record your learning and evidence against the curriculum outcomes.
To start recording evidence to demonstrate your learning, you will first need to register with the e-Portfolio.
The process of accessing the e-Portfolio is slightly different for RCPharm members and non-members.
Access your e-Portfolio
How to register onto the Core Advanced e-Portfolio if you are a member of the Royal College
If you are an RCPharm member, log in to your account and then select the link to the e-Portfolio at the top of the page:
How to register onto the Core Advanced e-Portfolio if you are not an RCPharm member
If you are not an RCPharm member, you can still access the e-Portfolio with a free, non-member account. You can create a free non-member account via a short registration from here. When all the fields are completed, accept the terms and conditions, and then click ‘Register’.
Once registered, login to the e-Portfolio here.
When can I submit my portfolio for assessment?
RCPharm advanced pharmacist competency committees will meet remotely four times a year to review portfolio submissions. There will be a submission window and a final portfolio submission date.
2025 submission dates
Intention to submit dateFinal submission deadlineAnticipated outcome dateApplication 19 February 20269 March 20266 May 2026Application 220 April 202618 May 202615 July 2026Application 322 June 202620 July 202616 September 2026Application 421 September 202619 October 202611 November 2026
Payment
Access to the RCPharm Core Advanced e-Portfolio is free to both members and non-members.
The fee for a portfolio submission to be reviewed is £375 for each attempt.
The fee for a portfolio submission to be reviewed for ASII Faculty members is £280 for each attempt.
Payment will be taken via card. We accept all major credit cards including Visa, Mastercard and American Express (AMEX).
Payment will only be taken once you have submitted your portfolio for assessment.
Is there a fee for resubmission and how much is it?
Any reassessment will incur an assessment fee dependent on the number of domains being reassessed.
Up to three domains: Discounted reassessment fee (£225)
Four or more domains: Full reassessment fee (£375)
Are there any recurring maintenance fees after I have been credentialed?
No. Once individuals are credentialed, there are no recurring maintenance fees. Maintenance of competence will be through GPhC revalidation.
Will I need to resubmit a portfolio to maintain my credentialing?
No. Maintenance of competence will be through GPhC revalidation.
Who assesses my portfolio?
Portfolios will be assessed by an RCPharm advanced pharmacist competency committee (APCC), which will consist of at least three panel members fulfilling the following roles:
Two advanced pharmacists, at least one of whom will have expertise from the candidate’s stated sector of practice.
A pharmacist with appropriate research expertise.
A pharmacist with appropriate educational expertise.
The committee will be chaired by a senior RCPharm representative.
What are the potential outcomes of the assessment?
The potential assessment outcomes of the advanced pharmacist competency committee are as follows:
Standard met – If the APCC agrees you have provided satisfactory evidence to demonstrate achievement of all the core advanced pharmacist curriculum outcomes under assessment.
Standard not met – If the APCC agrees you not provided satisfactory evidence to demonstrate achievement of all the advanced pharmacist curriculum requirements under assessment. Clear feedback will be provided to you as to which outcomes have not been met and why and you will need to be reassessed in one or more domains of the curriculum. You will not be required to resubmit evidence for those domains where the APCC agreed all the outcomes in that domain had been met.
All candidates will receive formative feedback on their submission from the committee regardless of the outcome of the assessment.
Collaborative supported e-Portfolio programme to advanced pharmacist practice in England
This was originally published when the organisation was the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, some updates will follow soon.
Developed in collaboration with the RPS, NHSE WT&E Centre for Advancing Practice and CPPE.
Provides a supported professional development programme to advanced pharmacist practice for eligible pharmacists in England, funded by NHSE WT&E’s Centre for Advancing Practice
300 funded places for pharmacists in 2023-2024
Recognises the quality assurance of the advanced practice education, training, and experience of pharmacists practicing as advanced practitioners.
Who is eligible for this programme?
To be eligible for this programme, pharmacists must meet NHSE WT&E’s Centre of Advancing Practice criteria and the requirements to meet the Core Advanced curriculum outcomes.
To be eligible, you must:
Be a pharmacist practising in England delivering NHS services
Working in an advanced patient-focused pharmacist role
Be working at, or close to, an advanced level of pharmacist practice (as defined in the Core Advanced curriculum)1
Be an active prescriber if working in a patient-facing role
Be currently leading, or managing other team members in the workplace
Be undertaking quality improvement and/or research activities to improve healthcare outcomes at a team and/or service level
Have agreement from your employer to support you with the programme by providing high-quality practice supervision, including supporting with work-based supervised learning events (SLEs).
1 For those working in general practice, this may include a completed Statement of Assessment and Progression from a CPPE’s national PCPEP training pathway or equivalent.
What is the programme based on?
The programme is based on the RPS Core Advanced curriculum, which is fully aligned to the NHSE WT&E Advanced Clinical Practice framework.
Candidates will need to develop a portfolio of evidence against the RPS Core Advanced curriculum outcomes using the Core Advanced e-Portfolio.
What support will I receive to develop my portfolio?
Programme support is provided by CPPE.
If you are assigned a place on the programme, you will:
Be assigned a dedicated educational supervisor from CPPE who will support you remotely developing your portfolio
Have a 90-minute learning needs analysis discussion with your educational supervision with the development of an individual development plan to address any learning or experiential deficits
Have two remote 1-2-1 meetings with your educational supervisor to discuss the quality of your evidence
Receive peer-to-peer support to develop your e-portfolio evidence through remote group tutorials.
What will the final sign-off assessment look like?
The programme covers a funded final sign off assessment. Your portfolio assessment will be assessed by an Advanced Pharmacist Competence Committee (APCC) as described in the programme of assessment section of the Core Advanced curriculum.
What do I get if I successfully complete the programme?
Those who successfully complete the programme and credentialing assessment through the RPS will receive the following dual award:
The RPS Core Advanced credential, recognising you as an advanced pharmacist. If you are an RPS member, this means you will be able to use the modified membership affix: MRCPharm(Advanced) or FRCPharm(Advanced)
NHSE WT&E’s Centre for Advancing Practice’s ‘Advanced’ digital badge, demonstrating the quality assurance of your advanced practice preparation to patients, families, carers, and other healthcare professionals.
This will mean you will be recognised as having equivalence in terms of level of advanced practice as those who have completed the alternative NHSE WT&E supported e-Portfolio (supported) route or a NHSE WT&E-accredited advanced practice programme.
How do I sign up to be assigned to a cohort on the programme?
To sign up for the programme, you need to register your interest through the CPPE website as well as through the NHSE WT&E portal. You will then be contacted by an education supervisor to arrange a learning needs analysis meeting. After this meeting, there will be a discussion about which cohort you will join.
In the meantime, we recommend that you read the getting started guidance.
What is the difference between an advanced pharmacist and an advanced practitioner?
>In summary, advanced pharmacists have advanced pharmaceutical clinical capabilities in addition to advanced non-clinical capabilities. The role of an advanced pharmacist could not be safely delivered by an individual from another professional group.
An advanced practitioner focuses on clinical assessment skills for managing undifferentiated patient presentations within speciality areas of practice, such as emergency medicine or general practice. These roles draw on individuals' professional expertise and can be safely undertaken by individuals drawn from a range of multi-professional backgrounds.
Both advanced pharmacists and other advanced practitioners practise at an advanced level and deliver complex care autonomously. Both are also experienced practitioners across the four pillars of practice.
For more detail, see section 2.3 of the Core Advanced curriculum.
What if I am not near to or at the advanced level of practice and/or not eligible for the programme?
If you do not currently meet the eligibility criteria for the programme but would like to commence your journey towards advanced practice credentialing, please refer to the getting started guidance.
2024 CPPE pathway submission dates
Submission window opensFinal submission deadlineAnticipated outcome dateApplication 17 January 202414 January 202427 February 2024Application 24 February 202411 February 202426 March 2024Application 37 April 202414 April 202428 May 2024Application 45 May 202412 May 202425 June 2024Application 54 August 202411 August 202424 September 2024
CPPE advanced credentialing support programme webpage
Centre for Advancing Practice appeals and complaints procedure
If you’re thinking about prescribing, this practical and engaging webinar is a great place to start.
Hear from experienced professionals who share what prescribing looks like in real practice. The session explores how to assess your readiness, reflect on your learning needs, and manage some of the complexities and uncertainties that come with the role.
We also address common myths around prescribing, and offer clear advice on how to take the next step in your development. Whether you’re just starting to explore the idea or preparing to apply, this webinar will help you feel more confident and informed.
Watch the webinar recording to support your learning and planning, and you’ll learn how to:
Understand the structure, requirements and commitments of the prescribing programme
Identify your current knowledge and learning needs
Build strategies to navigate uncertainty and prescribe safely in complex clinical situations.
Speaker: Danny Bartlett, Lead Pharmacist, Horsham Central PCN and Senior Lecturer, University of Brighton
Read more
Prescribing competence, principles of prescribing, applying the principles of prescribing while recognising your strengths, identifying development needs, and building confidence.
Know how to use the Prescribing Competency Framework to develop your practice and learn how to complete a self-assessment.
Recognised your strengths and transferrable skills relevant to your practice as a prescriber, and create a development plan for your short, medium and longer-term development needs.
Be more confident to work within your current scope of practice.
Is this programme suitable for all sectors of practice?
The RCPharm Prescribing Programme is suited to prescribing pharmacists in all sectors of practice including hospital, community, primary care and other settings. You will hear from a variety of experienced and expert prescribers from different sectors, sharing their experiences, and helping you become an effective prescriber.
Do I have to do the whole programme?
No, the RCpharm Prescribing Programme is designed to be flexible, to meet your personal learning needs. You pick the elements that suit you and which meet the learning needs identified in your personal development plan.
You will find it extremely useful to attend the first webinar where you will gain familiarity with the RCPharm Prescribing Competency Framework and leave being able to complete a self-assessment and personal development plan. This will help you to pick and choose elements across the rest of the programme that suit your learning needs.
Are the webinars recorded?
Yes, webinars will be recorded for you to access and listen to at your convenience. This will help you in being able to pick the parts of the programme that work for you and meet your learning needs.
Can I use the programme toward credentialing and my portfolio?
Yes, absolutely. This programme can support your RCPharm e-Portfolio and can contribute directly to your credentialing journey.
Throughout the programme, we’ll guide you to map your learning to the RCPharm Post-registration Foundation Pharmacist Curriculum and the RCPS Core Advanced Pharmacist Curriculum. Each learning activity clearly highlights which competencies it supports, making it easy to build evidence for your portfolio and work toward credentialed recognition.
By engaging with the programme, you’re not just building knowledge — you’re also actively progressing through the stages of professional development toward advanced levels of pharmacy practice.
