Foundation Pharmacist Training 2026

Applicants are invited to selection for Foundation Pharmacist Training in England and Wales.  
   
The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) website provides comprehensive information about Foundation Pharmacist training and its requirements. 

NHS England has delegated responsibility for quality management of the foundation training programme in England.  For further information and updates, follow this link: https://www.hee.nhs.uk/our-work/pharmacy/transforming-pharmacy-education-training/initial-education-training-pharmacists-reform-programme/implementing-foundation-pharmacist

   
All Foundation pharmacist training posts in England and Wales are recruited to via the National Recruitment Scheme (Oriel); there is no option to obtain a training post outside of the National Recruitment Scheme. A full list of participating employers can be found on the England and Wales National Foundation Trainee Pharmacist Recruitment website.  

All of the programmes being recruited to via Oriel are 52 weeks in length. A full list of the programmes can be viewed via the Oriel system by selecting the 'Pharmacy Programme' option from the main menu within the pharmacy staff group from 04 June 2025.  
   
Applicants will be assessed against the Professional Attributes Framework and Person Specification. These documents can be found on the England and Wales National Foundation Trainee Pharmacist Recruitment website. 

We strongly advise all applicants to read the Foundation Pharmacist Recruitment Applicant Handbook before applying. This can be found on the ‘Resource Bank’ section of the Oriel system.  

   
Reasonable adjustments  
   
For more information regarding reasonable adjustments please refer to Section 3.2 of the Foundation Pharmacist Recruitment Applicant Handbook. 
   

Competences 

 
All applicants applying for Foundation pharmacist training in England and Wales are required to demonstrate essential competences. For more information on competences please refer to the Person Specification.  
   
Please upload all required evidence of competences to your online application form. For those experiencing difficulties when uploading evidence, please ensure you contact the team via the support portal: https://lasepgmdesupport.hee.nhs.uk/support/tickets/new?form_2
   

Key dates & information  

Please review the Foundation Pharmacist Recruitment Applicant Handbook for the full timeline. 

Programmes commence between 13 July 2026 to 3 August 2026.  

  
Assessment Centres/Process 

Please note you will be assessed via the use of Situational Judgement Test (SJT) and numeracy assessments. More information can be found in the Foundation Pharmacist Recruitment Applicant Handbook

The testing window for the SJT/numeracy assessment is between 18 September – 01 October 2025 (Please note these dates are subject to change).  
   
The SJT/numeracy assessment will be taken at Pearson VUE centres. Further information can be found in the Foundation Pharmacist Recruitment Applicant Handbook

  
Preferencing Programmes:  

For information about preferencing programmes please refer to section 4 of the Foundation Pharmacist Recruitment Applicant Handbook for before applying. This can be found on the ‘Resource Bank' section of the Oriel system.  

   
Contacts / Enquiries 
   
Please visit the Support Portal where you will find a series of FAQs and be able to submit an enquiry to the Pharmacy National Recruitment Office (PNRO).  

Programmes  
   
All programmes will be available to view via the ‘Pharmacy Programmes’ section of the Oriel system from 04 June 2025. We would strongly advise you to start reviewing programmes at the earliest point to save time during the preferencing window.  
   
Please note that programme numbers and information are subject to change.