PDA launches Professional Development service to support pharmacists throughout their careers
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A new PDA member service, delivered through an online Member Hub, brings together practical guidance, structured professional support and international pharmacy resources in one accessible location.
Since its inception, the PDA has provided more than 90,000 episodes of support to members facing professional, workplace, legal and regulatory challenges across every sector of pharmacy. Through representing pharmacists in these often complex situations, the PDA has developed extensive practical insight into the realities of professional practice and the risks pharmacists may encounter.
The PDA is now using the lessons learned from those experiences to help pharmacists anticipate and manage similar challenges. Its new Professional Development Support Service, delivered through the online Member Hub, gives members access to a growing collection of resources, professional guidance and practical tools informed by real-world cases and support experience. These are designed to support professional practice, help pharmacists manage risk and assist them throughout their career development.
These support tools come at no extra cost to members as they are a part of the standard PDA membership offer.
Launched on World Pharmacists Day, this new resource initially brings together three dedicated resource areas:
- support for newly qualified pharmacists who are starting out in professional practice.
- Support tools and resources for independent prescribers; and
- an international resource library featuring materials gathered from leading international experts by the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP).
The Member Hub has been developed to make it easier for PDA members to locate relevant, practical information when they need it. Resources built on the PDA’s unique experiences as well as its practical partnership with FIP include professional guidance, practical tools and templates, bite-sized CPD, webinars, case studies, learning materials, recorded content, articles and opportunities for reflection.
Supporting the transition to pharmacist prescribing
An important feature of the new hub is the PDA’s newly qualified pharmacists programme, which has been developed to support pharmacists as they make the transition from student to practising pharmacist prescriber.
From September 2026, many pharmacists registering for the first time have been entering professional practice as independent prescribers (IPs). This creates significant opportunities for the profession, while also bringing increased responsibility, accountability and professional risk.
The PDA programme is not intended to replace clinical training or the support provided by employers, designated prescribing practitioners and education providers. Instead, it focuses on developing professional judgement, legal awareness, the management of risk and workplace skills that underpin safe and sustainable practice.
Resources are organised around five pillars reflecting the realities of early professional practice:
Together, the five pillars provide a structured practical framework to help newly qualified pharmacists navigate the responsibilities, challenges and opportunities associated with becoming autonomous pharmacist prescribers. Although the resources and tools have been created and assembled with newly qualified pharmacists in mind, they draw on the PDA’s extensive library of material and will have much relevance to pharmacists at any stage of their career. The Member Hub also signposts pharmacists to relevant materials from appropriate trusted external sources.
Curated independent prescribing support
Recognising that many experienced pharmacists are also developing or beginning to use independent prescribing qualifications, the professional development Member Hub also contains a dedicated independent prescribing collection. This collection specifically focuses on the responsibilities and practice of independent prescribing.
This focused collection will help pharmacists find relevant information without needing to search through the broader newly qualified pharmacist programme.
Access to global pharmacy knowledge
A third area provides PDA members with access to educational, professional development and policy resources gathered from across the world and made available to the PDA as a result of the PDA’s membership of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP). These international resources have been extensively curated for their relevance to pharmacists practising in the UK. Underpinned by a formal exclusive agreement with FIP, the resources available through this rich library are included within PDA membership at no additional cost.
The library covers areas including clinical practice and patient care, education and workforce development, global health policy, humanitarian activity, science and technology, and specialised sectors of pharmacy practice.
Members can browse resources through a structured hierarchy of learning and competency areas and use a dedicated search function to identify content relevant to their practice and development. These international resources have also been mapped, where appropriate, against the 21 FIP Development Goals.
Further information about FIP can be found here.
A resource that will continue to develop
The launch establishes the Member Hub as the online home of the PDA’s Professional Development Support Service. The range of resources will continue to grow and develop in response to emerging areas of practice, changes affecting the profession and the needs of PDA members.
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