250076 Contract for the Provision of a Development Programme to Support Foundation Trainee Pharmacists to Prepare for the Common Registration Assessment

The Northern Ireland Centre for Pharmacy Learning and Development (NICPLD), one of the national pharmacy postgraduate centres, was established in 1990 and has been based in the School of Pharmacy (Queen’s University Belfast) since 1996. Funded by the Department of Health under the Health and Personal Social Services (HPSS) (1972) Order, its remit is to support the development of the (Health and Social Care) pharmacy workforce in Northern Ireland through its education and training programme, which includes:

· direct, distance and eLearning courses

· foundation training year

· postgraduate course funding

· post-registration foundation training

· non-medical prescribing training

· advanced practice training

· post-qualification training for pharmacy technicians.

NICPLD also provides an effective multi­-professional education programme of workshops and eLearning, in addition to promoting and participating in research and development.

The Standards for the initial education and training (IET) of pharmacists (GPhC, 2021) support the aim of the Department of Health to improve and promote the health and social wellbeing of the people of Northern Ireland. This will be achieved by establishing programmes to develop the Northern Ireland (NI) pharmacy workforce for an enhanced and more effective clinical role in response to changing population demographics and patient need. To achieve this goal, there will be a need for closer integration of academic study with enhanced learning in practice.

The NICPLD Foundation Training Year (FTY) programme encompasses the following elements

· 52 week in-practice training

· evidencing of learning outcomes via the completion of mandatory practice activities, recording evidence and uploading this to an ePortfolio

· periodic appraisal by an educational supervisor to ensure trainee progress

· structured education and training programme to support trainee pharmacists as they work towards being independent practitioners and sitting the Common Registration Assessment (CRA).

NICPLD is responsible for the delivery of all elements of this programme but will require support from the Economic Operator in delivering the structured education and training programme to support trainee pharmacists as they prepare to sit the CRA in Summer 2027.