RPS Training Partnerships

Alongside our own education and professional development programmes, RPS has a strong track record as a provider of training on behalf of national health organisations around the UK.

RPS has delivered training as a partner to national health organisations in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This work spans clinical and non-clinical skills, and supports the developing role of pharmacy around the UK. We develop training with support from expert practitioners and academics, enhanced by input from our membership, which includes pharmacists in all settings and at all career stages.

Community Pharmacy Consultation Service (NHSE)

RPS delivered CPD to enable pharmacists to join the Community Pharmacy Consultation Service, where callers to the NHS 111 service can be referred to a community pharmacist for a minor illness consultation or urgent medicines supply.

This CPD was funded by Health Education England (now NHSE) and developed in partnership with the Royal College of General Practitioners. This work supported the expanding role of pharmacy within the health and care system.

Read the evaluation reports for the first and second phases of training.

Research and Evaluation training for research pharmacists (NIHR)

The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) commissioned RPS to deliver a suite of e-learning modules to improve pharmacy professionals’ awareness, knowledge and skills in clinical research.

Increasing the prevalence of research skills in the pharmacy workforce helps to build the evidence base for new developments in pharmacy practice, whilst creating new career pathways for pharmacists.

RPS was one of eight Royal Colleges across a range of health disciplines selected for this work, which aims to build research capacity across the health and care workforce.

The e-learning is aimed at pharmacists and pharmacy technicians who have not followed an academic career path or those who have had little or no experience of research delivery to date.

Prescribing learning programme in Wales (HEIW)

Health Education and Improvement Wales commissioned RPS to develop a training programme to support pharmacists in Wales with independent prescribing. While from 2026, all newly trained pharmacists will have prescribing skills, the expansion of prescribing to new parts of the workforce means that training is needed to help existing pharmacists to develop these skills and bring these important services to communities.

Through the programme, participants learn to diagnose and treat common conditions and minor ailments, identify ‘red-flag’ symptoms and understand when and how to refer patients to other healthcare services.