NHS England delays mandatory multi-sector foundation training rotations

A requirement for pharmacy foundation training programmes to include multi-sector rotations from 2026/2027 has been postponed by NHS England owing to pressures facing the pharmacy sector.

The decision was announced in a letter sent in December 2024 to foundation training providers and pharmacy bodies by David Webb, chief pharmaceutical officer for England, and Samantha Illingworth, director of education quality and reform at NHS England.

In the letter, Webb and Illingworth said: “We have received positive feedback from employers and workforce leads across England about the progress made in establishing these multi-sector programmes, as well as insights into the barriers and challenges they have encountered.

“We are also mindful of the current pressures faced by pharmacy teams and the broader healthcare sector and greatly appreciate your continued commitment to delivering high-quality training.

As a result, it said: “To support pharmacy teams in continuing to deliver high-quality training, mandatory rotations will be delayed, and a phased approach will be implemented.

“Some areas may require a phased approach, with full implementation anticipated by the 2027/2028 cohort.”

“In 2025/2026, multi-sector rotational programmes developed by employers will be available for approximately 50% of trainees entering training.

“The goal remains that by March 2025, the employer national recruitment deadline, most programmes will be developed to include multi-sector rotations,” it added.

“However, single sector programmes submitted to the national recruitment scheme will still be eligible for the 2026/2027 recruitment cycle. From March 2026 onwards, single-sector programmes will not be accepted for training programmes starting in 2027.”

Following the publication of updated training standards for pharmacists by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) in 2021, NHS England mandated that multi-sector rotations would be required for all trainees starting in the 2026/2027 training year.

The training standards set out ideals for the development of “adaptable pharmacists” and “proficient prescribers” able to work in multidisciplinary teams across healthcare settings from the start of their careers.

The rotations must include at least 13 weeks spent in a different sector to the trainees’ primary base. NHS England’s ‘Foundation trainee pharmacist: multi-sector rotation guide‘ says: “Host partners are free to develop their own rotational plan. The training programme may incorporate one or more multi-sector rotations of 13 weeks.”

Commenting on the NHS England decision to delay the introduction of the cross-sector rotations, a spokesperson for the GPhC said: “Our education and training standards require that trainees are exposed to an appropriate breadth and depth of patients and people in a range of environments.

“Multi-sector placements can help to facilitate this and are encouraged, but are not mandated by our standards.”

“NHS England has provided assurance through our accreditation processes of how the training programme will provide trainees with suitable opportunities until multi-sector training is implemented,” they added.

Earlier in December 2024, a study reported that pharmacist foundation trainees who completed their placements in hospital were more likely to pass the first sitting of the GPhC’s registration assessment, compared with students who had completed their placements in a community setting.