The 26-Week Review: What Trainees and Supervisors Need Ready

Your 26-week review is the halfway point of the foundation year. What evidence you need by then, repeating your LNA, what your supervisor will look for and how to record it all in the e-portfolio.

By Umar Majid · 9 Nov 2026

The 26-week progress review is the halfway check of your foundation training year. By then, NHS England expects you to have completed at least 6 observed clinical activities if you're on the interim learning outcomes, or at least 10 if you're on the full learning outcomes, and to have repeated your learning needs analysis. If you started in summer 2026, your review will fall around January 2027.

This is written for trainees and designated supervisors (DSs) alike, so you can both walk in prepared instead of scrambling the week before.

Why week 26 is the review to get right

You have progress reviews at weeks 13, 26, 39 and 52, and together they show whether you're on course for final sign-off. Week 26 is the most useful of them. It's late enough to show a real pattern in your evidence, and early enough to fix gaps before GPhC exam revision takes over your time.

Leave your evidence until after the exam and the second half of the year gets very stressful. Use week 26 to get ahead.

Where should you be by week 26?

Requirement	Interim learning outcomes	Full learning outcomes (prescribing)
Observed clinical activities by week 13	at least 3	at least 5
Observed clinical activities by week 26	at least 6	at least 10
Learning needs analysis	repeated before week 26	repeated before week 26
Training plan uploaded	yes	yes
DPP details in e-portfolio	not applicable	yes

Most trainees who started in 2025/26 or later, and graduated against the 2021 standards, are on the full learning outcomes, which include independent prescribing. If you graduated against the 2011 standards, or you're an OSPAP graduate, you're usually on the interim learning outcomes. Check which pathway your e-portfolio is set up for.

What should trainees do before the review?

Start two to three weeks beforehand.

First, repeat your learning needs analysis (LNA) and update your personal development plan. Be honest about where you're weak.

Then look hard at your evidence. Count your observed clinical activities against the target above, but don't stop at the count. Map your evidence to the learning outcomes, find any outcomes with nothing against them yet, and plan activities that will cover them. Upload anything outstanding and ask supervisors to complete pending feedback or sign-offs. Check your supervisor meeting records are up to date too.

If you're on the full learning outcomes, check your prescribing hours log and DPP meetings are recorded, and that your nominated prescribing area has been agreed.

Finally, write down three questions you want to ask your DS. For example: which outcomes look weakest? What should I prioritise before week 39?

What should designated supervisors check?

Before the meeting:

Block proper time to review the evidence, not the 10 minutes before you sit down.
Gather feedback from practice supervisors and, where relevant, the DPP.
Look at the volume and spread of evidence, not just the count. Is it varied across settings and outcomes?
Check the quality. Do the reflections show what the trainee learned and what they'd do differently?
Watch for early warning signs: missing evidence, repeated low-quality submissions, or a trainee avoiding particular activities.

In the meeting, agree what's going well and what's behind, then set specific, dated actions for the next 13 weeks. If you have a concern, record it now with a clear plan. Raising it at week 39 leaves very little time. And complete every section of the progress review form and management plan in the e-portfolio.

Recording the review in the e-portfolio

The progress review is recorded in the NHS England e-portfolio. Regional teams describe it as a three-step upload process, and incomplete forms are a common reason for delays later on. Follow your region's quick guide, and check that both the trainee and DS sections are filled in before the meeting is marked as done.

Common mistakes at week 26

Counting instead of mapping. Ten activities that all cover the same outcomes still leave gaps elsewhere.
Leaving evidence until after the GPhC exam. Final sign-off can take place from week 49, so the second half of the year is short.
Thin reflections. Say what happened, what you learned and what you'll do differently.
Leaving prescribing late. The 90 hours of prescribing-related learning need planning, not squeezing in at the end. Our guide to independent prescribing in the foundation year explains how they work.
Letting exam stress and portfolio stress run together. Split your week into revision time and portfolio time, so neither one disappears.

Common questions

When is the 26-week review? Around the midpoint of your training year. If you started in July 2026, expect it around January 2027.

How many observed clinical activities do I need by week 26? At least 6 on the interim learning outcomes, or at least 10 on the full learning outcomes.

Do I need to repeat the learning needs analysis? Yes. NHS England guidance says the LNA should be repeated before the week 26 review.

Do I still need the 39-week review to sit the GPhC exam? No. Since January 2026, eligibility to sit the assessment hasn't been linked to the 39-week review, but you still need all your progress reviews for final sign-off.

Help with the e-portfolio

Many trainees tell us the e-portfolio worries them more than the exam. Our Foundation Pharmacist Training Programme includes e-portfolio support and a 1:1 planning session, where we help you build a year plan around your rota with activity ideas and write-up guidance, alongside full GPhC revision. We also support designated supervisors with practical guidance on reviews and sign-off.

See the programme or create a free account to explore the courses.