We are reviewing and updating our post-registration Foundation curriculum and credentialing pathway. From summer 2026, this will become the RCPharm Enhanced Curriculum and Credential, aligning with the introduction of prescribing for most newly qualified pharmacists in the UK.

While prescribing is an exciting development for the profession, we know that pharmacists in their early years of practice will need structured support to develop in this expanded role. This includes building capability in leadership and management, education, and research and evaluation.

This enhanced pathway will provide consistent, practical support across community, primary care and secondary care settings.

Following earlier consultation on the draft curriculum outcomes, we have made further changes. We are now seeking feedback on the full draft curriculum and proposed credentialing approach.

What are we trying to achieve?

1. A clear, practical curriculum

We aim to create a curriculum and credentialing pathway that is relevant, accessible, and easy to understand.

The enhanced curriculum will:

• Build confidence in pharmacist prescribers to define and develop their scope of practice
• Support development of leadership, education, and research and evaluation skills in early post-registration practice
• Provide a structured portfolio to record learning and demonstrate practice

2. A more flexible approach to credentialing

We have heard that developing a portfolio across all domains at once can feel overwhelming for newly qualified pharmacists.

In response, we are introducing a more flexible, modular approach from summer 2026.

Pharmacists will be able to submit portfolios for:

• Enhanced clinical credential (Domains 1 & 2) 
• Enhanced non-clinical credential (Domains 3, 4 & 5) 
• Full enhanced credential (all domains) 

This allows pharmacists to progress in a more manageable, step-by-step way.

3. A sustainable model for delivering credentialing assessments

We know that assessment demand is increasing and that assessor capacity is limited in a system with growing pressures and demands.

To ensure the model is sustainable and can support pharmacists at scale, we are proposing a single-assessor model, with quality assurance through moderation 

This approach will help maintain quality while increasing capacity.

What have we already changed based on feedback?

You said	We did
The purpose statement is still too wordy	We have shortened it further
There are too many learning outcomes and descriptors	We reduced the number of learning outcomes from 38 to 24 (a 32% reduction)
Mandatory clinical skills were not relevant to all sectors and difficult to achieve in practice	We removed the mandatory list of clinical skills
Building evidence across the whole curriculum at once is overwhelming	We introduced a flexible, modular credentialing approach
There is not enough assessor capacity to deliver assessments	We moved from multi-assessor panels to a single-assessor model with moderation

What do we need feedback on?

We are now seeking feedback on the full draft enhanced curriculum, specifically:

• Purpose statement
• Learning outcomes
• Assessment strategy, including:
  • Stakes ratings for each curriculum outcome 
  • The assessment blueprint 

Your feedback will directly shape how pharmacists are supported and assessed in their early years of practice.

How can I be involved?

• Read the full draft enhanced curriculum and/or review the specific sections using the links above 
• Submit your feedback using our online form by Friday 29 May

When will the final curriculum be published?

We will review all feedback received and use it to finalise the curriculum.

The final version will be approved through our governance processes and published in summer 2026, ready for newly qualified pharmacists joining the register as prescribers.