The Royal College of Pharmacy (RCPharm) has called on the government to offer pharmacy students the same access to the NHS Learning Support Fund (LSF) as other health professions.
In a joint letter published today, RCPharm, the British Pharmaceutical Students’ Association (BPSA) and the Pharmacy Schools Council urged health minister Karin Smyth MP to “enable pharmacy student access to other aspects” of the LSF, including “a training grant, parental support and an exceptional support fund”.
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“Alongside removing unjust barriers to choosing pharmacy, this would give students the flexibility to engage with wider professional development opportunities to further enhance their clinical skills,” it said.
Since September 2025, following a joint letter to the previous government in 2023, pharmacy students have had access to travel and dual accommodation expenses under the LSF - something RCPharm described as “a very positive first step.”
“Pharmacy degree has evolved”
The letter pointed out that the pharmacy degree “has evolved to include a greater emphasis on clinical practice and prescribing”, adding that “pharmacy schools are delivering a growing number of clinical placements across a range of care settings and geographies”.
It stressed that “as pharmacists play a growing clinical role in the health service, they must be given comparable access to the training and development support provided to other healthcare professions”.
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“Students, including those with parental responsibilities, should not face additional financial barriers to choosing pharmacy,” it added.
And the bodies said that as the government “develops a new workforce plan”, they would welcome its “commitment to remove this inequity and ensure that pharmacy students can access the support they need”.
“Welcome” but “insufficient”
Pharmacy Schools Council chair professor Barrie Kellam said pharmacy education “has shifted decisively towards enhanced frontline clinical training, yet funding remains behind other health professions” - and that “while this year’s progress is welcome, it remains insufficient”.
He added that patient safety “depends on pharmacists trained in clinical decision-making and the scientific understanding of medicines that underpins safe prescribing and use”.
“Policymakers must therefore fund these essential elements to protect patients and secure our future workforce,” he said.
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RCPharm England chair Mahendra Patel said asking pharmacists to do more “must be backed by enhanced and equitable support for education and professional development”.
“With continued pressures on the NHS, pharmacy students should not face unjust financial barriers at the very start of their career, if we are to make the most of all the health professions to support patient care,” she added.
And BPSA president Martina Aikon stressed that “thousands of pharmacy students face financial pressures and are often unable to access opportunities and resources afforded to other healthcare professions”.
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“As an association, we believe full inclusion in the Learning Support Fund is imperative in providing equitable support for MPharm students,” she said.
It comes as a petition calling for full access to the NHS LSF for pharmacy students enters its penultimate month.
Started by Kingston University pharmacy student Zeenat Akmal, the petition has so far garnered more than 6,300 signatures out of the 10,000 needed for a government response.