Hi everyone! Welcome to another MEDLRN blog post. For those who don’t know me, I’m Faheem – a pharmacy prescriber, contractor, and founder of MedLRN. Today we’re discussing a very important topic: Health Education England (HEE) funding for pharmacists who want to become prescribers, and how to develop your scope of practice.
What is Health Education England?
Health Education England is essentially a body that plays a major role in the education side of healthcare professions. They work with pharmacists, nurses, paramedics, and other health professionals, but our focus today is on what they’re doing specifically for pharmacy.
The HEE Funding Announcement
In autumn 2022, HEE announced that around 3,000 pharmacists would have access to funded places for their prescribing course. As I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, to become a prescriber, you need to attend university and pay anywhere between £1,000 to upwards of £2,000-£3,000 for your prescribing qualification. HEE decided to fund these qualification costs themselves.
I’ve had many students contact me asking questions like:
- How do I get access to this funding?
- When is the funding going to end?
- Do I have to apply separately?
- What makes me eligible?
- What are the steps involved?
We’ll cover all of this in depth, along with developing your scope of practice – which is crucial for your application.
Funding Timeline
The funding announcement came in autumn 2022, with an end date of March 2023. There were only 3,000 places available for pharmacists. This doesn’t mean there won’t be funding available later – there probably will be. But as of the time of writing, the current round was set to stop in March 2023.
You might be thinking, “Should I even pay attention to this if there are only a few weeks left?” My advice is: if you’re still considering getting funding, get in touch with universities directly right away. Send them an email saying you’re interested in becoming a prescriber and ask if they’re still offering funded places. They may still have funding available.
Who Can Apply for Funding?
- Community pharmacists
- Pharmacists working in GP practices
- Hospital pharmacists (NHS Trust)
- Pharmacists in mental health delivery services
Essentially, if you’re a pharmacist, you have access to this funding.
Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for funding, you need:
- Access to a DPP (Designated Prescribing Practitioner) – If you’re struggling to find a DPP, we can help you source one. Check out my separate video on this topic.
- A suitable placement – Wherever you decide to do your practice learning, you need support to ensure you get the best out of your learning experience.
- Meeting the entry requirements for becoming a pharmacist prescriber – This includes having access to a DPP and having qualifying experience.
It’s worth noting that the law has changed regarding how long you need to be qualified before gaining your prescribing qualification. Previously, you needed to be qualified for two or three years, but that requirement has been scrapped by the GPhC. However, universities might not have updated their entry requirements yet, so keep this in mind.
How to Apply for Funding
This is a question I get all the time – and the answer is simple:
You apply directly to the university. You inform them that you’d like to have HEE-funded places, and they will allocate the funding. You don’t need to separately apply anywhere or contact HEE directly.
IMPORTANT: Not every university received access to funding. Before completing your application, check with the university whether they have access to HEE-funded places.
About the Two-Year Qualification Requirement
As mentioned, in 2022 the GPhC announced that you don’t need to be qualified for two or more years to apply for your prescribing course. However, universities may not have updated their entry requirements yet.
The original two-year requirement was meant to demonstrate that you have sufficient experience. Now that pharmacists can be qualified for less than two years, universities need to adjust their entry requirements to verify that you have the necessary skills even without those two years of experience.
Developing Your Scope of Practice
When you gain your prescribing qualification, it will be in a specific area – your “scope of practice.” This is crucial to understand.
You cannot learn every part of medicine in six months – it’s not enough time. Instead, you’ll pick a specific area, such as:
- “UTIs in women who have uncomplicated UTIs with no comorbidities between 18 and 65”
- “Hypertension stages one, two, and three, with no comorbidities, between the range of 140 up to 165”
You need to define your scope clearly. It’s not enough to say “I want to learn to prescribe antibiotics” or “I want to learn to prescribe in ENT.” You must be specific.
For ENT, you might say: “I want to learn to diagnose, manage, and treat patients who present with ear-related conditions, aged between 18 and 65, who are systemically well with otitis media.”
Your scope of practice should be in an area where you already have skills – where you’re already taking histories, examining patients, documenting, and being a reflective practitioner.
How to Choose Your Scope of Practice
Your scope of practice will depend on your experience. For pharmacists, minor illnesses are often a good choice – treatment of coughs and colds, dermatology conditions like acne or eczema.
I would advise staying away from areas like chest pain or shortness of breath in a community pharmacy setting, as there could be many causes that you can’t fully investigate. For example:
- How would you rule out a pulmonary embolism without a D-dimer test?
- For hypertension, how would you check for end-organ damage without blood tests?
Stick to something straightforward where you can thoroughly assess the patient within your setting.
In your application, you need to explain your clinical decision-making process. For example, with a cough, explain how you differentiate between bronchitis, pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, heart-related causes, GORD, or foreign bodies through history-taking and examination.
Questions to Ask Yourself When Choosing Your Scope
- Do I see patients regularly in this area?
- How do I diagnose in this area? Do I take histories and examine patients?
- Do I know enough about the condition and examination process?
- Do I practice evidence-based medicine?
- What prescribing do I already do (even if it’s over-the-counter recommendations)?
For example, in community pharmacy, diabetes might not be an appropriate scope because while you dispense medication, you’re not typically involved in the entire process of history-taking, examination, differential diagnosis, blood work, and monitoring.
Expanding Your Scope After Qualifying
It’s important to understand that after qualifying, you can’t immediately start prescribing in areas outside your scope. Think of it like learning to drive a car – that doesn’t qualify you to fly an airplane!
To expand your scope of practice after qualifying, you must go through the same process again:
- Learn the theory
- Be observed
- Be supervised
- See plenty of cases
- Be signed off as competent
Always check the standards of the GPhC, reflect on your practice, and never do anything you’re not competent to do.
Writing Your Personal Statement
Your personal statement is one of the most important aspects of gaining HEE funding. It should be around 300-500 words (though this varies by university) and should demonstrate that you meet all requirements.
Your personal statement should include:
- Link to policy – Show how your prescribing aligns with the NHS vision, the future of pharmacy, and the GPhC standards and reforms.
- Advertise yourself – Show that you’re competent, ready for the course, can take histories, examine patients, document properly, reflect on practice, understand the importance of the IP course, and know your limitations.
- Address current healthcare challenges – Mention difficulties in the UK healthcare system (e.g., doctor shortages, waiting times not being met) and how pharmacist prescribers can help.
- Your background – Where did you qualify? What experience do you have? (COVID vaccinations, travel vaccinations, minor ailment services, HbA1c testing, blood taking, MURs, etc.)
- Your chosen condition – Define it clearly and specifically (e.g., “diagnosis and management of UTIs between the ages of 18 and 65 with no comorbidities in females who are not pregnant”).
- Your current practice – Explain what you’re already doing in this area, how you take histories, examine, rule out differential diagnoses, refer when needed, document, and follow up.
- Why this university – Mention the university’s academic strengths, resources, and infrastructure.
- Your readiness for level 7 study – Show you’re already a master’s level student who has undertaken CPD with organizations like CPPE, self-learning, or training with MedLRN.
Summary
To get HEE funding:
- Ensure you meet the criteria (qualified pharmacist with experience, defined scope of practice, available DPP)
- Check the university has access to HEE funding
- Understand that without funding, courses cost between £1,200-£3,000 (average £1,500-£1,800)
- Define a specific scope of practice (not vague like “prescribing antibiotics”)
- Write a compelling personal statement linking policy, explaining your practice, and demonstrating readiness for level 7 study
Remember, prescribing is a tool, not the be-all and end-all. Focus on preventative medicine and responsible prescribing.
If you need any help with your application or finding a DPP, get in touch with us at MedLRN. Together, we can build a better world and make the best out of our profession!
