Key Summary
- The new pharmacy training programme incorporates prescribing into the initial pharmacist training pathway and creates a route into prescribing right from registration.
- The report stated that the investment made in training pharmacist prescribers will only translate into patient and system benefit if they are adequately funded.
- The report said that infrastructure should be developed alongside the phased introduction, testing and monitoring of prescribing services.
The number of pharmacist prescribers in pharmacies have seen a gradual rise over the years, but this is expected to accelerate from this year with the newly-qualified pharmacist prescribers trained under the 2021 Initial Education and Training of Pharmacists (IETP) standards entering the market, says a report by the National Pharmacy Association.
Titled 'Prescribing in Community Pharmacy', the report said that community pharmacy is one of the most accessible parts of the NHS, but sufficient groundwork is needed to ensure that pharmacies are ready to deliver prescribing services as the workforce grows.
The IETP incorporates prescribing into the initial pharmacist training pathway and creates a route into prescribing right from registration. It reduces reliance on separate post-registration prescribing training.
The report points out that the 2025 Community Pharmacy Workforce Survey records 3,154 pharmacist prescribers working in community pharmacy in England, equivalent to 2,346 FTE, up from 2,513 headcount and 1,996 FTE in 2024, and from 1,576 headcount and 1,087 FTE in 2022.
The current pharmacist prescribing workforce is around 30% national headcount capacity relative to the number of community pharmacy premises, or roughly one pharmacist prescriber for every three pharmacy premises nationally.
Because of IETP, it is expected that by early 2030s all community pharmacies would have at least one full-time pharmacist prescriber.
Without the new training programme, the sector would have achieved this feat only by 2038.
Adequate funding
The 2026/27 CPCF settlement provides the first national NHS offer for prescribing in community pharmacy.
From autumn 2026, prescribing will be introduced as an extension of Pharmacy First and the Pharmacy Contraception Service, including prescribing within existing pathways, up to five newprescribing-only pathways and circumstances for prescription management.
The report recommends that the government should take measures to ensure that the pharmacies are fit enough to deliver.
"Commissioners should put funded services and clear clinical pathways in place, while pharmacy owners prepare the staffing, systems and governance needed for delivery.
"Commissioning prescribing services early would give pharmacists opportunities to use and develop their skills, while allowing pharmacies to put in place the operational systems and support needed to deliver safely at scale."
The report stated that the investment made in training pharmacist prescribers will only translate into patient and system benefit if they are adequately funded.
This will include funding for IT systems and integration with general practice and wider NHS systems, alongside appropriate governance and support to use their skills in practice, it added.
"Without sufficient commissioned services and opportunities to practise, prescribing skills may be underused and may deteriorate over time, reducing pharmacists’ confidence and readiness to prescribe and limiting the potential benefits for patients and the wider NHS."
Work environment
The newly qualified pharmacist prescribers will need appropriate support to use their prescribing skills safely and confidently in community pharmacy.
"This should include local induction, access to relevant patient records and prescribing systems, supervision or peer support, clear clinical pathways, agreed referral and escalation arrangements, and appropriate governance and quality monitoring."
Accessibility
The report said though expanding prescribing could provide patients better access to clinical assessment, prescribing decisions, and treatment near home, the national workforce growth alone does not guarantee equal access in every area.
"Local commissioning and implementation will shape how quickly patients can access prescribing services – if commissioned services are unevenly distributed, some communities may benefit more than others, potentially widening existing inequalities in access to care.
"Commissioners should therefore use local population need and existing access gaps to guide service rollout and monitor uptake across different communities."
Infrastructure support
The report said that infrastructure should be developed alongside the phased introduction, testing and monitoring of prescribing services.
"This will require services to be commissioned with sustainable payment models, alongside clear clinical pathways, practical support and the infrastructure needed for safe routine delivery.
"Building confidence among patients and other healthcare professionals will also be important.
"Without opportunities for pharmacist prescribers to use and develop their skills, the potential benefits for patients, pharmacies and the wider NHS may not be fully realised."
Dr Lem Ngongalah was the lead author of the report and it was reviewed by Gareth Jones, Hollie Ryder, Vineta Jain, Jasmine Shah, Michael Lennox and Dr Jill Loader.
