Trainee Pharmacists Foundation Year – would you like to participate
Are you interested in employing one or more trainee pharmacists or providing training placements?
If so, or you would like to know more before deciding, please read on.
Foundation training is designed to give trainee pharmacists the support, direction, information and resources they need to bridge the transition from studying to registering as pharmacists. From 2025/26 HEE has advised trainee pharmacists will register as an independent prescriber at the same time as they register as a pharmacist.
HEE has also indicated that from the 2025/26 foundation training year, access to funding will require that trainee pharmacists are recruited via Oriel into multi-sector programmes*
* Multi-sector programmes offer two or more placements of 13 weeks or longer in length. They must include a minimum of 26 weeks in a patient facing pharmacy sector such as a community or hospital pharmacy, with the balance in a non-patient-facing or non-pharmacy setting such as the pharmaceutical industry or general practice.
What is the difference between employing a trainee pharmacist and providing a placement?
Employer: The person or organisation who directly employs the trainee pharmacist and pays their salary. The employer can claim the trainee pharmacist training grant (where eligible).
As part of multi-sector foundation programmes, training placement providers offer placements of 12 weeks or longer in length in collaboration with the trainee pharmacist’s employer.
What is Oriel?
Oriel is the IT system used for the national recruitment to trainee pharmacist foundation year programmes.
Health Education England (HEE) has used Oriel for recruitment of trainee pharmacists for NHS managed sector places since 2017. From 2025/26 HEE is planning to move all recruitment of all trainee pharmacists to a single route via Oriel.
What are the deadlines for Oriel?
(Note: The deadline for submission of foundation training places for 2024/25 has now passed).
How can I get involved next year?
I am interested in employing one or more trainee pharmacists in 2025/26
If you are interested in employing a trainee pharmacist as part of a multi-sector foundation training place for 2025/26:
Read through the:
- National Foundation Trainee Pharmacist Recruitment Scheme via Oriel Employer Guidance
- HEE National Foundation Trainee Pharmacist Recruitment webpage
- HEE employer terms of participation
- HEE Trainee Pharmacist Foundation Year website
- Designated Supervisor Information and Resources
Then please register your interest by emailing: avonlpc@gmail.com
I am interested in providing placements for one or more trainee pharmacists in 2025/26
Read through the resources at the:
The please register your interest by emailing: avonlpc@gmail.com
Useful resources: