How to Write a Foundation Training Plan That Meets the Requirements

What NHS England expects in a foundation trainee pharmacist training plan: who uploads it, when it's due, what it has to show, and a quarter-by-quarter outline you can adapt for your own site.

By Umar Majid · 9 Nov 2026

Every training site in England has to submit a training plan to NHS England for each foundation trainee pharmacist, and the lead designated supervisor (DS) uploads it to the e-portfolio. For summer starters, NHS England has asked sites to submit in July, when the trainee starts. The plan has to show how your trainee will complete the NHS England assessment strategy and meet the GPhC learning outcomes, including prescribing for trainees on the full learning outcomes.

Below you'll find what the plan needs to contain and a quarter-by-quarter outline to build from. If you're new to hosting, our employer guide to hosting a foundation trainee is a good place to start.

Who submits the plan, and when?

The lead DS at the employing site uploads it to the NHS England e-portfolio. You need one plan per trainee, and it has to describe that trainee's actual programme. NHS England provides a Word template and completion guidance to work from.

The plan goes to NHS England, not the GPhC. That changed from 2025/26, so if you hosted trainees before then, this part is different.

For timing, NHS England has asked for July for summer starters. Its FAQ also refers to within 4 weeks of the trainee starting, so check your regional deadline, especially for autumn starters.

Don't treat the plan as paperwork to finish once the trainee is in. NHS England's terms say a trainee can start once there's a signed employment contract and a completed training plan.

What does the plan need to show?

NHS England's template has three parts:

Programme and organisation information
Programme training and supervision plan
Local quality management arrangements

Across those three parts, you need to show:

how the trainee will complete every required activity of the NHS England assessment strategy, across any internal and external rotations
induction, including mandatory training
independent prescribing development, with access to a prescribing learning setting and a designated prescribing practitioner (DPP), for trainees on the full learning outcomes
supervision arrangements for the DS, the DPP and practice supervisors
how you'll quality-assure the training locally

The GPhC standards also require the plan to set out how the trainee will achieve the learning outcomes. NHS England asks that the DS has enough job-planned time to supervise, so say in the plan how much time that is.

Which site requirements should it reflect?

Requirement	Detail
Length	52 weeks full time
Patient-facing time	At least 26 weeks (distance selling does not count)
Dispensary	Access to a dispensary supervised by a GPhC registrant
DS	Based at the primary training site
Rotations of 13 weeks or more	A named DS (or DPP) at the rotation site
Prescribing	At least 90 hours of prescribing-related learning overseen by a DPP

Do I need to plan a multi-sector rotation?

If you're hosting in 2027/28, yes. A multi-sector rotation is at least 13 weeks in a different sector from the trainee's base, such as general practice, hospital or community pharmacy. NHS England delayed making it mandatory, and full implementation is expected for the 2027/28 cohort.

The GPhC standards actually allow training in one or more sectors. The multi-sector requirement is NHS England's, as a condition of its programme.

For a 2027/28 trainee, your plan will need to describe the rotation. The employing organisation writes and submits the plan, and the host site helps write the section on its rotation. NHS England offers optional template rotation agreements if you want a starting point.

A quarter-by-quarter outline

Treat this as a skeleton, then tailor it to your site, your rota and your trainee. The timings are based on the NHS England assessment strategy for 2025/26, so check the current version.

Weeks 1 to 13: induction and foundations

Site induction, SOPs and mandatory training
Learning agreement, and a learning needs analysis (LNA) with personal development plan, in the first 2 weeks
Reflective accounts with certificates for first aid and basic life support, safeguarding, health and safety, and your digital systems, within the first 13 weeks
Induction to the NHS England core training offer
Meet the DPP: prescribing learning agreement, prescribing LNA and the nominated prescribing area
Start observed clinical activities: at least 3 (interim) or 5 (full learning outcomes) by week 13
Week 13 progress review

Weeks 14 to 26: building evidence

Spread observed clinical activities across all six core activities, such as medicines reconciliation, patient consultation and medicines safety
Start prescribing activities: history taking and clinical examination skills
Multi-source feedback or a patient satisfaction questionnaire
Repeat the LNA before week 26
At least 6 (interim) or 10 (full) observed clinical activities by week 26
Week 26 progress review

Weeks 27 to 39: prescribing and exam preparation

Prescribing consultations and prescription writing with the DPP
Professional development activities: teaching and mentoring, audit or quality improvement
More protected revision time ahead of the GPhC exam
Week 39 progress review

Weeks 40 to 52: exam and sign-off

GPhC registration assessment (June sitting for summer starters)
Complete the 90-hour prescribing log and the final prescribing development review
Final sign-off by the lead DS can start from week 49
Week 52: training complete

For each quarter, name who supervises, where the trainee is based and how much protected learning time they get. Vague plans are where problems start.

Where do training plans usually go wrong?

The most common mistake is copying a generic plan without changes. NHS England asks for one plan per trainee that accurately describes their programme.

Next is a DPP arrangement that isn't real. Writing "DPP to be confirmed" leaves your trainee unable to complete the prescribing activities. Our guide to independent prescribing in the foundation year goes through the options.

Then there's the exam. NHS England's core training offer doesn't include GPhC exam preparation, so say in the plan how you'll cover it.

If your DS has no protected supervision time, the plan isn't realistic. And plans go out of date. If the rota, the DS or the rotation changes, update it.

Wales and Scotland

This article covers England. In Scotland, NES sets its own training plan and supervision requirements and provides template frameworks, with separate plans for each area of practice on multi-sector programmes. In Wales, the foundation year is run through HEIW. Check with your statutory education body.

Common questions

Who uploads the training plan? The lead designated supervisor at the employing site, through the NHS England e-portfolio.

When is the training plan due? NHS England has asked sites to submit in July for summer starters. For autumn starters, check your regional team's deadline.

Does the plan go to the GPhC? No. Since 2025/26, training plans go to NHS England.

Do I need one plan for each trainee? Yes. Each plan has to describe that trainee's own programme.

What if the trainee rotates to another employer? You still write and submit the plan as the employing organisation. The host site helps write the rotation section.

Start with a plan that already fits the strategy

Our Foundation Pharmacist Training Programme includes an approved training plan your trainee can upload to their e-portfolio, which you then tailor to your site. Trainees also get a 1:1 planning session to build a year plan around their rota, plus full GPhC revision, and we support your designated supervisors through the year.

See our programme resources or contact us to talk about your training sites.