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Pharmacy students will be able to access financial support for travel and accommodation during their training placements, following a decision to give them access to some parts of the NHS Learning Support Fund (LSF), according to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)
In guidance published on 20 May 2025, the DHSC said that eligible UK undergraduate pharmacy students will be able to access the travel and dual accommodation expenses (TDAE) provision of the LSF for the 2025/2026 academic year.
The TDAE provision covers students’ travel between their student accommodations and practice placement sites, travel costs incurred from having to visit other practice placement sites or the cost of temporary accommodation, if needed.
Previously, trainees in other healthcare professions, such as nursing and most allied health professions, have been able to access the fund; however, pharmacy students have been excluded.
In a joint letter sent to then health minister Will Quince in 2023, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS), British Pharmaceutical Students’ Association (BPSA) and Pharmacy Schools Council requested that pharmacy students be given equal access to the LSF.
The Pharmacists’ Defence Association (PDA) has also been campaigning on the issue through its Fair Funding Campaign, which was set up after Elif Akseki, PDA student committee member for Keele University, first raised concerns over inequitable funding for MPharm students at a PDA student committee meeting in 2023.
Commenting on the changes, Akseki said: “Pharmacy students are crucial members of the multidisciplinary team and deserve fair funding to be able to attend placements like our peers on other healthcare courses. It’s a privilege to have been able work with PDA student reps and fellow pharmacy students to speak up and drive change. This is an example of how student voices can make a meaningful impact.”
Molly Charlton Chambers, a fourth-year pharmacy student at Kingston University and a PDA student representative involved in the campaign, said: “The increased demand for clinical placements since the incorporation of independent prescribing has meant many students must travel a considerable distance to attend them, with some needing to stay in temporary accommodation.
“The inclusion of pharmacy students in the TDAE scheme means that eligible students will now be able to claim for excess travel and accommodation costs, helping to significantly reduce the financial burden faced by many students.
“It also demonstrates recognition of the importance of pharmacists and the need to support the future of the pharmacy workforce.”
“This is a milestone to celebrate and demonstrates the impact of hundreds of pharmacy students across England campaigning together,” she added.
Chambers said that pharmacy students should remain committed to securing the full benefits offered by the LSF, such as a training grant of up to £5,000 per academic year.
Also commenting on the government’s decision, Claire Anderson, president of the RPS, said: “This a very positive step and a welcome recognition by the government of the crucial role of pharmacists in the future NHS.
“The RPS has long called for pharmacy students to be included in the LSF, including in our evidence to the health select committee inquiry on pharmacy. As pharmacists play a more clinical role in the health service, it seemed increasingly unjust to exclude pharmacy students from the financial support they deserve.
“Access to the LSF will also help tackle the inequalities that exist within the profession by removing financial barriers to placements and supporting all pharmacy students. With growing demand for pharmacists’ expertise, it is welcome news that this inequity at the very start of their career journey is going to be addressed.”
