Training sites employing foundation trainee pharmacists and pre-registration trainee pharmacy technicians (PTPTs) on an apprenticeship programme will see a funding uplift from this month, NHS England (NHSE) has announced.
Community Pharmacy England (CPE) said yesterday that sites with foundation trainee pharmacists starting in summer and autumn for the 2026/27 training year have had their funding increased from £27,295 to £28,196 per trainee.
And training sites employing a PTPT as part of the community pharmacy technician apprenticeship programme (CPTAP) starting in the 2026/27 financial year will have their funding increased from £15,505 to £15,769 per trainee.
Read more: NHSE ups foundation trainee pharmacist funding to £27k
The changes came into effect on September 1 and will be made “automatically to all eligible training sites” for both trainees and apprentices.
Backdated payments to trainee start dates are included, as well as uplifts for those who received payments between April 1, 2026 and August 31, 2026 for the 2025/26 cohort of trainees and between April 1, 2026 to completion for the 2025/26 cohort of apprentices.
CPE said there is “nothing additional that training sites need to do” to receive the uplifted payment.
Read more: £15k available in community pharmacy technician apprenticeship funding
It comes after funding for foundation trainee pharmacists increased by 3% in October and funding applications for the 2026 CPTAP opened in April.
Community pharmacies that had never previously received NHSE PTPT funding were to be prioritised if the programme was oversubscribed, following those who last received funding in or before 2023/24, then 2024/25, and finally the 2025/26 financial years.
The funding was available only for new PTPTs who must be enrolled onto the CPTAP by September 30.
