Post-reg Foundation Programme: Part 1 (FP1)

Part 1 of the Post-reg Foundation Programme (FP1) aims to provide structured workplace learning experiences to support patient-focussed pharmacists in Northern Ireland to deliver safe and effective care to individual patients.

There is considerable overlap between the new GPhC Standards for the initial education and training of pharmacists (IETP) (hyperlink) and the RPS Post-registration Foundation Pharmacist Curriculum. NICPLD has mapped the 55 IETP learning outcomes to the RPS Post-registration Foundation Pharmacist Curriculum, and FP1 covers these particular outcomes. FP2 covers the remaining RPS Post-registration Foundation Pharmacist Curriculum outcomes and descriptors.

FP1 pharmacists gain experience in four practice areas:

• Optimising medicines use (OMU)
• Safe and effective provision of medicines (SEPM)
• Governance and quality improvement (GQI)
• Promoting public health (PPH)

Each practice area has a specified set of practice activities which help individuals to cover the FP1 learning outcomes. Throughout FP1, pharmacists are supported in the workplace by an Educational Supervisor (ES) / mentor. In larger workplace establishments the ES / mentor may be assisted by local Practice Supervisors (PS) / trainers who are able to support the FP1 pharmacist’s learning and development and observe their practice on a more routine basis. There are also workshops/webinars and online courses for FP1 pharmacists and a formal assessment process.

Further information about FP1 can be found in the FP1 handbook.