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.

The next Cohort (Cohort 20) of our Independent Prescribing Programme will begin Aug/Sept 2026. The application process is online and accessible from the button on the right-hand side of this page. An animated video explaining how to use the portal is available below. There are three forms to complete and submit by the closing date Tuesday 3 March 2026:

• 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.

There are up to 150 places available in Cohort 20.

Funded DPP places for community pharmacists

A payment of £1,500 is available for each DPP supporting a community pharmacist. A maximum of 50 funded DPP places are available on a first come first served basis, assuming all criteria are met. Community pharmacists must complete the normal application on the right-hand side of this screen. If applications are approved, DPPs (and the corresponding community pharmacist) will be contacted and asked to complete an additional funding form. All pharmacists applying to cohort 20 are responsible for finding their own DPP.

There will be no extension to the closing date of Tuesday 3 March 2026.