The Royal College of Pharmacy has announced that pharmacists working across community pharmacy, general practice and secondary care have achieved a 92% pass rate in its latest round of advanced credentialing.
Credentialing provides an independent assurance that professionals have the knowledge, skills and experience to deliver care at an advanced level.
It now plays an increasingly important role across healthcare, and for patients, it reinforces trust that clinicians are working to nationally recognised standards, supporting consistent, high‑quality services and safer clinical decision‑making.
Pharmacists in this cohort were prepared through advanced‑level development programmes run by the Centre for Postgraduate Pharmacy Education (CPPE), Public Services Delivery Scotland and University College London (UCL).
It included the first pharmacist to be credentialed as an advanced pharmacist in critical care through the collaborative Royal College and UK Clinical Pharmacy Association (UKCPA) joint credentialing pathway.
In Scotland, the group included only the third community pharmacist to secure Royal College advanced‑level credentialing, underlining the growing reach of advanced practice in local pharmacy settings.
Deputy Superintendent Pharmacist Michelle Frazier, of Crimond Pharmacy, described the achievement as a defining moment in her career.
She noted that community pharmacy has changed dramatically, with pharmacists now providing increasingly complex clinical services every day. Completing the credentialing process, she said, allowed her to step back, assess how her practice has evolved, and evidence that progress against nationally recognised standards.
“For me, this achievement is not just about recognition; it is about demonstrating the value that community pharmacists bring to patient care and showing that advanced practice is firmly established within our sector,” she added.
Joseph Oakley, Associate Director of Assessment and Credentialing at the Royal College of Pharmacy, said the 92 per cent success rate reflects the cohort’s expertise, dedication and commitment.
He said that such results illustrate what is possible when pharmacists, employers, education providers, professional bodies and the College collaborate around a shared professional vision.
Oakley said the College is particularly pleased to see advanced credentialing gains in critical care and community pharmacy. Advanced practice, he noted, spans multiple sectors and settings, and it is vital that pharmacists everywhere have fair opportunities for their expertise and impact on patient care to be recognised.
