Independent Prescribing

The Supplementary Prescribing Course for pharmacists began in 2003 and when legislation changed in 2006 to enable independent pharmacy prescribing, the course was revised and is now known as the Independent Prescribing Course. Students who successfully complete the course are qualified as supplementary and independent prescribers.

This Post Graduate Certificate is divided into four modules and runs over a eight-month period. It includes 90 hours learning in practice, the purpose of which is to enable the student to transfer their learning from the theory element of the course and to develop and practise clinical examination skills relevant to the condition(s) for which they intend to prescribe. The pharmacist may complete their learning in practice at any point during the course.

Prior to 2022, to be eligible for acceptance onto the course, pharmacists must have been practising for at least two years post registration and produce evidence of clinical and therapeutic experience in their intended prescribing area. However, from Cohort 17 (Aug/Sept 2023), applicants no longer need to adhere to these criteria. Instead, applicants must meet the following requirements:

1. Current registration with GPhC/PSNI and be in good standing with them, or any other healthcare regulator with which they are registered
2. Must have relevant patient-orientated experience in a UK (not ROI/elsewhere) pharmacy setting and be able to recognise, understand and articulate the skills and attributes required by a prescriber to act as the foundation of their prescribing practice
3. Must identify an area of clinical or therapeutic practice on which to base their learning, for the purposes of developing their independent prescribing practice
4. A Designated Prescribing Practitioner (DPP) who has agreed to supervise their learning in practice. This named practitioner must be registered with and be in good standing with their healthcare professional body in Great Britain or Northern Ireland, have legal Independent Prescribing rights and have:
   • Active prescribing competence in the areas in which they will be supervising;
   • Appropriate patient-facing clinical and diagnostic skills;
   • Supported or supervised other healthcare professionals, and
   • The ability to assess patient-facing clinical and diagnostic skills.

All places on the Independent Prescribing Programme which started Aug/Sept 2024 (Cohort 18) have now been allocated. The next Cohort (Cohort 19) will begin Aug/Sept 2025. The application process for the next cohort starting Aug/Sept 2025 (Cohort 19) is online and the application form will be accessible from a button on the right-hand side of this page from 2 December 2024. An animated video explaining how to use the portal is available below. There will be three forms to be completed and submitted on/before the closing date:

• Confirmation of Eligibility form (COE). Completed and submitted by the pharmacist.
• Designated Prescribing Practitioner (DPP) Learning Agreement. Completed and submitted by your DPP (medical or non-medical) after the COE above is completed.
• Employer/Sponsoring Organisation (SO) Learning Agreement. Completed and submitted by your employer /SO after the COE above is completed.

Please note that 150 places are available for Cohort 19 (starting Aug/Sept 2025) on a first-come, first-served basis with 50 places for community pharmacists, 50 places for hospital pharmacist and 50 places for pharmacists working in general practice. Any places not used within a sector will be re-allocated on a first-come first-served basis, irrespective of sector.