It is difficult to overstate both the scale of changes and the rate of transformation of pharmacy since the start of the 21st century. Driven by government policy, professional ambition and public expectations, they have been truly astonishing. The government’s new 15-year plan for the NHS workforce is extremely ambitious and, combined with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s (RPS’s) call for all pharmacists to be prescribers, represents a paradigm shift for pharmacy in Britain. Along with the boost in training places for pharmacists, the government’s targets for 2031 include a doubling of medical school places to 15,000 places per year and a 50% increase in GP trainee places, as well as an increase in the number of training places for physician associates to 10,000 places by 2036.
