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Overseas qualified pharmacists who wish to practise in Great Britain would complete independent prescribing training before joining the register under proposals published last week by the General Pharmaceutical Council.  

A draft consultation on overhauling the Overseas Pharmacists’ Assessment Programme (OSPAP) was included in papers prepared ahead of the GPhC’s council meeting last Thursday (March 26).  

The regulator is planning to reduce the time to registration for pharmacists from outside the European Economic Area (EEA), the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and Switzerland from one year to two, citing its “obligation… to not put unnecessary barriers in the way of internationally qualified professionals working in the UK”. 

It added that the current route for these pharmacists “is at least twice as long as most equivalent routes in other countries, and for other regulated healthcare professionals in the UK”.

It is proposed the revised programme will be based on the 2021 standards for initial education and training – including independent prescribing – “but with a specific orientation towards the needs of pharmacists who did not initially train in Great Britain… this will be drawn out in curriculum design”.

The GPhC said it plans to include independent prescribing training in OSPAP for the first time, explaining that overseas-trained pharmacists “are already pharmacists and bring with them a verifiable pharmaceutical skills set,” with some already having experience as prescribers “albeit within a different context and parameters to Great Britain”/

“We believe that including independent prescribing in the revised programme is realistic and achievable,” said the regulator, adding: “Additionally, doing so means that internationally qualified pharmacists are not disadvantaged on initial registration and are able to provide the same services and care as pharmacists who have trained in Great Britain.” 

The GPhC is also proposing to allow universities providing OSPAP to shorten the period of education and training if they can “verify that parts of a programme have been covered by prior experience”.

The GPhC said it plans to launch a 12-week consultation on its OSPAP proposals in April 2026, with any changes expected to be rolled out in the 2028-29 academic year at the earliest.