CPTH Preceptorship for Newly Qualified and New to Primary Care Pharmacists

Starting professional practice, or moving into general practice for the first time, is a significant transition. The CPTH Pharmacist Preceptorship provides a structured 12-month programme of learning, workplace application, supervision and peer support to help pharmacists understand the primary care environment, develop safe clinical and medicines-management practice, and build confidence in their role within the wider multidisciplinary team.

What is it?

The 12-month development programme is designed to complement local induction, employer support and existing national education pathways and provides a coherent development journey that helps pharmacists, at an early entry point in their career, to apply learning to real primary care practice. (It is not intended to duplicate mandatory training or replace local clinical supervision.)

The programme combines online or self-directed learning, protected development time within the employing practice, face-to-face local supervision days, workplace application and cohort-based learning. The learning programme progresses from orientation and clinical foundations through medicines management, prescribing, reflective practice and sustainable professional development.

As this is a pilot, a grant of £1,000 can be claimed by the practice / PCN to support protected learning time.

Who is it for?

The programme is open to pharmacists who are actively working in a Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Practice and meet either of the following criteria:

  • Newly qualified Pharmacist who qualified within the last 12 months
  • Pharmacist who qualified previously but has joined primary care within the last 12 months and is new to working in general practice

It is particularly suitable where a pharmacist would benefit from structured support to understand primary care systems, consolidate clinical and prescribing practice, develop medicines-management capability, and build professional confidence in a new setting.

What is provided for the preceptee?

  • A structured 12-month preceptorship journey
  • Eight modules covering the clinical, medicines-management and professional foundations of primary care pharmacy
  • Eight face-to-face cohort and supervision days across the programme
  • Peer learning and opportunities to share experience with pharmacists at a similar stage of transition
  • Workplace-focused learning designed to be applied directly to day-to-day general practice
  • Structured opportunities for reflection, feedback and supervision
  • Support to identify future development priorities and appropriate career or education routes

Preceptorship Learning Programme

The learning programme progresses from orientation and clinical foundations through medicines management, prescribing, reflective practice and sustainable professional development. Learning is designed to remain practical and proportionate, with participants encouraged to use real workplace experience, supervision and feedback to consolidate their development.

  • Module 1: Primary Care Context & Induction
  • Module 2: Clinical Foundations
  • Module 3: Medicines Management & Safe Systems of Care in Primary Care
  • Module 4: Prescribing in Primary Care: Regulation, Responsibility and Safe Practice
  • Module 5: Reflective Clinical Practice & Evidencing Safe Care
  • Module 6: Wellbeing, Moral Distress & Sustainability
  • Module 7: Career Navigation in Primary Care
  • Module 8: Professional Standards, Revalidation & Practice Essentials

Click here to view the flow chart with details of module content.

What is expected from the preceptee?

  • Actively engage with the learning programme across the 12 months
  • Attend and participate in the face-to-face cohort and supervision days
  • Apply learning to day-to-day primary care practice and discuss learning with their local supervisor or preceptor
  • Use reflection, feedback and workplace experience to identify development needs and demonstrate progression
  • Work within their competence and scope of practice, seeking support and escalating appropriately

What is provided for the employing practice?

  • Funding grant to practice of £1,000 per programme, supporting 1 day of protected CPD time per month

What is expected from the employing Practice?

  • Provide a supported practice induction
  • Identify an appropriate local supervisor, preceptor or named senior colleague to support the pharmacist’s development
  • Release the pharmacist to attend 8 x face-to-face supervision half days over the programme
  • Provide protected time for preceptorship learning, workplace application and reflection
  • Support regular developmental conversations and appropriate clinical supervision in line with the pharmacist’s role and scope of practice

Relationship with Existing Education and Training

The CPTH Pharmacist Preceptorship is designed to complement, rather than replace, employer induction, statutory and mandatory training, the CPPE Primary Care Pharmacy Education Pathway where applicable, and other national or local professional development routes. Participants should continue to access role-specific training and clinical supervision appropriate to their individual scope of practice.

This Preceptorship is funded by the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Training Hub. Funding is via a grant to the employing practice, there is no funding direct to preceptees.

 

Cohort Dates and How to Apply

Cohort start date: w/c 5 October 2026

Application deadline: 28 September 2026

Applications are accepted from the employing practice only, via the online application form below. We will not process applications direct from potential preceptees.

Questions?

For questions about the Pharmacist Preceptorship programme, please contact Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Training Hub: