Foundation Training
Foundation (pre-registration) training is changing in 2024; All recruitment for trainees must now be via the Oriel National Recruitment Scheme.
In January 2021, the GPhC published the revised Standards for the Initial Education and Training of Pharmacists (IETP). The first students to graduate against these new learning outcomes will start their foundation training year, previously known as the pre-reg year, in July 2025.
This means the 2025/26 foundation training year, all foundation trainee pharmacists must be recruited through the National Recruitment Scheme (Oriel) system.
There will be no arrangements for approval of training sites or funding of training sites outside of this process.
For the 2025/26 foundation training year, you do not have to include a multi-sector rotation, although it is strongly encouraged to include this wherever possible.
However, you do need to be able to provide access to a Designated Prescribing Practitioner (DPP) and a prescribing learning environment.
If you do not have access to a DPP and prescribing environment in your main training site, then a rotation into another site is likely to be the best way to provide this for your foundation trainee pharmacist.
From the 2026/27 foundation training year onwards, it will be compulsory to include a 13-week multi-sector rotation.
Getting ready for the Foundation Training Year 2025/26
Please refer to the links and information below for key updates on the changes that will be implemented for the 2025 foundation training year. These include details of:
- Recruiting via Oriel is the only route for employing a foundation trainee pharmacist for the 2025-26 cohort year.
- All training posts must be entered into, and recruited through, the National Recruitment Scheme (Oriel) website.
- HEEGP has been removed from the programme titles from the 2023 employer information as funding for this national programme has been removed and is now incorporated in the harmonised funding envelope.
- Placements are now called rotations and will be in advertised as weeks instead of months.
- Terms of Participation have been reviewed and updated to reflect the IETP reform changes, please read these in full prior to registering.
If you are planning to recruit a foundation trainee pharmacist, this main presentation and summary will give you the key information you need to prepare now.
We would like to inform you of upcoming sessions available to all LLR contractors run by the Midlands Pharmacy NHSE WT&E team in preparation for registering your Foundation Pharmacy training programme on ORIEL (National Recruitment System).
The Midlands Foundation Pharmacy Team will be hosting weekly drop-in sessions to support employers with practical queries related to the ORIEL system.
In addition, they will be offering webinars to employers explaining the Initial Education and Training of Pharmacists reform programme (IETP) and the changes to Foundation Pharmacy training in 2025-2026. Midlands Foundation Pharmacy Team will repeat the webinar four times during January and March 2024 to enable colleagues to attend. You will only need to attend once but you are welcome to attend further should you have any questions.
Please see attached Support sessions for Pharmacy Foundation Training 25-26 which contains the dates and times of sessions and MS Teams meeting links. No registration is required. Midlands Foundation Pharmacy Team have alternated day times and evening times to try to maximise attendance.
Any queries please contact england.foundationpharmacy.midlands@nhs.net
Timeline for recruitment for 2025/26
| Date | Activity | Notes |
| January 2024-March 2024 | Training sites entered into Oriel/NRS
Employer registration for the 2025-26 cohort year opens on
|
• Must agree to terms of participation – agree that will provide access to DPP and prescribing learning environment
• Do NOT need to identify who the DPP is and where the prescribing environment is • IF a multi-sector rotation is being including, must identify where this rotational site is |
| June 2024-October 2024 | Application and Preferencing | Applicants apply to the NRS and create their preferences; a list of sites in which they wish to train |
| September 2024- October 2024 | Assessments | Applicants undertake their recruitment assessment activity |
| December 2024 | Allocations | Employers informed of trainees allocated to their training programmes and begin contacting them |
| Jul/Aug 2025 | Trainee starts |
For further information and links can be found below.
Implementing the Foundation Pharmacist Training Year 2025/26 | Health Education England (hee.nhs.uk)
Pharmacy Recruitment | Health Education England London & South East Pharmacy (hee.nhs.uk)
Implementing the Foundation Training Year 25-26 – Main presentation (.pdf)393.67 KB
Implementing the Foundation Training Year 25-26 – Key points (.pdf)120.74 KB