There are lots of reasons why people may take a break from practising as a pharmacist. For example, taking time to recover from a long term illness, bringing up a family or taking a gap year.

If you are contemplating a return to practice following a break of more than twelve months you will have to complete the GPhC return to registration application form and provide a portfolio of evidence of current competence. You will need to consider the knowledge and skills that you already have, identify any gaps and develop a plan on how you might best fill these gaps.

Return to practice courses, work shadowing, mentoring and on-line forums are amongst the options available to help you to enhance your knowledge and skills.

• Courses and training
• Community pharmacy services 
• NHS smartcard
• Work shadowing, mentoring and other support
• Other contacts and resources

Courses and training

Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (England)

The Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE) run a range of courses.

Return to Practice 

The CPPE offers a four day Return to practice course for pharmacists who are looking to return to practice. There is a charge for this course, however it does receive a subsidy from the Department of Health. For further information, see the CPPE website.

Returning to the register

The CPPE Returning to the register-building a portfolio course addresses the GPhC requirement for all returning pharmacists to submit a portfolio of evidence that demonstrates their current professional competence. For further information, see the CPPE website.

Coaching support

The CPPE now offers a coaching service. If you have a specific work-related goal, for example returning to practice, the CPPE can help you to achieve this within a supportive framework. For further information, see the CPPE website.

Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education

1st Floor Stopford Building
University of Manchester
Oxford Road
Manchester
M13 9PT
Tel: 0161 778 4000
Enquiries: [email protected]

Public Service Delivery Scotland (formally NHS Education for Scotland (NES))

NES have now created an online resource on TURAS Learn (our online platform) for users to familiarise themselves with some aspects of the pharmacy contract in Scotland. This can be accessed through this link –  https://learn.nes.nhs.scot/7057. They are also running an online virtual session to support people returning to practice.

Health Education and Improvement Wales (Pharmacy) 

Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) provides a return to practice resource hub with learning resources, self-assessment tools, information about mentoring support, and guidance to help pharmacy professionals identify and meet their return to practice learning needs

Community pharmacy services

Returning  community pharmacists will need to keep abreast of  services in order to remain an attractive proposition to prospective employers. Pharmacists who are unable to provide certain services may be less likely to get work.

Community Pharmacy England (CPE),  Community Pharmacy Wales (CPW) and Community Pharmacy Scotland (CPS) have information on the current services community pharmacies provide in each nation.

NHS smartcard

An NHS Smartcard may be required for some pharmacy roles in England and Wales. It allows authorised pharmacy professionals to securely access the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) and other NHS systems containing patient information. For more information about obtaining a Smartcard, please see the Community Pharmacy England  (CPE) and NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership (NWSSP) websites.

Work shadowing, mentoring and other support 

Work shadowing

Pharmacists planning to return to practice may wish to contact community pharmacies or other potential employers, such as hospitals or GP practices, to enquire about any work shadowing or practice observation opportunities that may be available. Building relationships with potential employers may also help you learn more about available roles and future employment opportunities.

Royal College of Pharmacy (RCPharm) mentoring service                           

The RCPharm offers its members a mentoring service. This can range from a one-off session focusing on a particular issue to a long term relationship that will enable you to build confidence and enhance your skills. Mentors can also, at your request, liaise with the GPhC to ensure that you fulfil any conditions attached to your return to the register.

The RCPharm online mentoring database helps to match mentor and mentee. However you can also utilise local practice forums and online groups to search for potential mentors.

For further information on the mentoring service, see the RPS website.

National Association of Women Pharmacists (NAWP)

NAWP is keen to help men and women who wish to return to practice. This includes the provision of low-level continuing support, introduction to work opportunities with sympathetic employers and a mentoring scheme. For further information, see the NAWP website.

Other contacts and resources

Royal College of Pharmacy (RCPharm)

The RCPharm website contains general information on return to practice, including tips for your portfolio and personal statement, a return to practice checklist, FAQs and case studies. For further information on return to practice, see the RCPharm website.

The RCPharm offers discounted rates to those who are on maternity leave or are not currently working owing to issues such as health problems. For further details of discounted membership rates, see the RCPharm website.

PJ Online

PJ Online includes articles, details of courses and links to other useful resources. Some information is available to all visitors to the website, whilst information such as archived articles is for members of the RCPharm who have registered with PJ Online and paid subscribers only.

For further information, see the PJ website.

The Pharmacy Times

The Pharmacy Times on-line site has a large section on medical conditions. Here you will find advice in a variety of formats, ranging from articles to podcasts and videos, to help you to keep up-to-date with the latest information on a variety of disease states. For further information, see the Pharmacy Times website.

Looking for work

There are many job sites to help you to find employment. We have compiled a list of specialist pharmacist sites, locum sites and more general job sites. To view these, see our Looking for work: job vacancy sites page.

Working as a locum

Pharmacists who are struggling to find work might want to consider working as a locum. For further information, including paying tax, personal indemnity insurance and employment rights, see our Locum page.

Pharmacist Support

While people are unable to work, we can also provide specialist advice on benefits entitlement. For people who are struggling to manage their finances, we can provide specialist debt advice.

Financial assistance towards essential expenditure in times of hardship may be provided to those affected by loss of work, for example, pharmacists seeking to return to work after a period of illness. . Examples of help include course and travel costs, registration fees and help with household costs.

If you are currently experiencing hardship, do not hesitate to contact us. We can help you assess whether an application for financial assistance is the best route and discuss what other support might be available for you

To contact Pharmacist Support,

Email: [email protected]
Call: 0808 168 2233

Web: www.pharmacistsupport.org

Listening Friends

Our confidential Listening Friends peer support service, staffed by volunteer pharmacists, can provide a listening ear to pharmacists who have not worked for a while and may be anxious about returning to practice.

Listening Friends 

This page was last reviewed and updated in September 2026