In 2025, The Pharmaceutical Society Northern Ireland conducted a public consultation on amendments to its regulations to support changes to Foundation Training. Further information can be found here.
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General Information about the Foundation Training Year - Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland
The Pharmaceutical Society Northern Ireland has a responsibility to approve the provider of Foundation Training Year in Northern Ireland, to ensure it provides the standard of education as set out in the joint Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland and GPhC 2021 standards.
The Foundation Training Year in Northern Ireland prepares trainees to become healthcare professionals and to embrace professionalism as outlined in The Code and its associated Standards and Guidance.
The Foundation Training Year takes place after students graduate with their MPharm degree. It consolidates their initial learning and education and offers workplace-based, practical training in clinical settings. This training enables trainees to build upon their pharmacy knowledge, understanding, skills and behaviours, and to develop their knowledge and skills in preparation for registration.
The Northern Ireland Centre for Pharmacy Learning and Development is the organisation responsible for the operation and delivery of the Foundation Training Year programme in Northern Ireland. Please visit their website for further information.
If you are a Pharmacy Student based in the UK or Northern Ireland interested in completing your Foundation Training Year in Northern Ireland, please see the NICPLD website for more details about the programme. www.nicpld.org
Students who commenced MPharm in or before 2021
For students who commenced their MPharm in or before 2021, they are in a programme previously approved against the 2021 standards, which are co-baged by Society and GPhC and which can be viewed here.
Educational Supervisor accreditation
Any Tutor, who trained before the Initial Education of Trainee Pharmacist Standards were implemented, is no longer qualified to be an Educational Supervisor until they undertake the Educational Supervisor Accreditation Programme, which is managed by The Northern Ireland Centre for Pharmacy Learning and Development (NICPLD).
For any enquiries please contact nicpld-fty@qub.ac.uk.
The term “Educational Supervisor” will be adopted nationally within the pharmacy profession and is used across the healthcare profession to refer to someone with mentoring responsibility.
Introduction to Reforms to initial education and training
KEY EVENTS AND STATEMENTS
28 July 2020 An update from the Chief Pharmaceutical Officers and UK Pharmacy Regulators
12 November 2020 – Stakeholder Engagement Event
On behalf of the NI Education Reform Group, the Pharmaceutical Society NI hosted an online meeting on 12 November 2020, to outline, and gain feedback on, initial thinking regarding the reforms.
The meeting was attended by over 70 people from across the pharmacy sector in Northern Ireland and was addressed by the following speakers, whose video presentations are available below.
- Ms. Cathy Harrison, Chief Pharmaceutical Officer, DoH
- Mr. Trevor Patterson, Chief Executive, Pharmaceutical Society NI
- Professor Colin Adair, Postgraduate pharmacy Dean, NICPLD
The Implementation Group’s response to questions raised at the event is available here.
26 January 2021 New standards for the initial education and training of pharmacists
Cathy Harrison, Chief Pharmaceutical Officer, in a letter to registrants of the Pharmaceutical Society NI has welcomed a new era for pharmacist education and training following the approval by the Council of the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland of new initial education and training standards for pharmacists which marks a fundamental and exciting shift towards clinical practice for pharmacists.
The letter can be accessed here.
Introducing reforms to the initial education and training of pharmacists – what to expect in 2021/22
18 March 2021 – Letter to 4th year MPharm students from the NI Centre for Pharmacy Development and Learning and the Pharmaceutical Society NI
18 March 2021 – Letter to Tutors/Educational Supervisors from the NI Centre for Pharmacy Development and Learning and the Pharmaceutical Society NI
22 April 2021 – Update letter to 4th year MPharm students from the NI Centre for Pharmacy Development and Learning.
1 October 2021 – Update to Section 2 of the Standards for Foundation Training