From 2025/26, NHS England (NHSE) has said that all foundation trainees “must have access to a designated prescribing practitioner (DPP) and a prescribing learning environment”.
But the sector has issued repeated warnings of an ongoing shortage of DPPs.
Today (May 23), the Company Chemists’ Association (CCA) demanded that the commissioner provides “a list of all organisations” that have spare DPPs.
The body said that it has “grave concerns” that “pharmacies will be unable to secure DPPs”.
Read more: NHSE: New ARRS funding is a ‘lever’ to support DPP capacity
It added that while NHSE has “repeatedly assured” the membership body that “there are sufficient DPPs within the system”, it is “hearing from pharmacies that they cannot find the DPPs that NHSE says are available”.
“If NHSE does not provide pharmacies with assistance in finding DPPs, pharmacy businesses will be forced to offer fewer foundation placements than they would like to,” it said.
“Consequently, a significant number of graduates leaving university next year will, unfortunately, struggle to find employment in their chosen career,” the CCA warned.
“NHSE must take control”
CCA chief executive Malcolm Harrison said that the organisation has “repeatedly warned NHSE about the short supply of DPPs”.
He added that “NHSE must take control of the situation and provide a full list of all organisations with available DPPs”.
Read more: Well Pharmacy to slash trainee places by 75% in England
“Employers do not want to be forced to remove foundation placements from [national recruitment scheme] Oriel, especially considering the existing workforce challenges,” he said.
“This risk to pharmacy graduate placements can be avoided if swift and decisive action is taken by NHSE now,” Harrison added.
C+D approached NHSE for comment.
Ongoing concerns
Earlier this month (May 10), an NHSE official said that new funding for primary care networks (PCNs) available through the additional roles reimbursement scheme (ARRS) will boost DPP numbers in preparation for 2025/26.
NHSE pharmacy dean for workforce training and education in the South West Nick Haddington said that the new funding can be used to “support pharmacy technicians and pharmacists to become education supervisors”.
Read more: IP: Trainee pharmacists must have clinical prescribing area from 2025/26
Meanwhile, C+D revealed in March that Well Pharmacy would cut its trainee numbers by 75% in England due to the lack of DPPs.
The multiple said at the time that it offered “less than 30” places for English pharmacy trainees in the 2025/26 cohort and may “need to withdraw some of those places”.
