Designated supervisors

Designated supervisors play a key part in helping trainee pharmacists develop the skills, knowledge and behaviours they need to meet the standards expected of a pharmacist, and to deliver patient-centred care.

Becoming a designated supervisor

To become a designated supervisor, you must:

  • be a registered pharmacist in Great Britain
  • have been registered for three years or more
  • have been practising in the sector, or a related sector, of pharmacy in which you wish to supervise
  • satisfy the assessment requirements if you are under investigation by us (have no sanctions or conditions on your registration and no current fitness to practise issues that stop you from being a designated supervisor)

If you have (or have previously had) any conditions or restrictions on your practice, we will assess if these will affect your ability to carry out your role as a designated supervisor, in line with the GPhC designated supervisor suitability policy [PDF 295.57 KB] . You may not meet the criteria to become a designated supervisor until the conditions or restrictions are lifted. 

You do not have to undertake a training course to become a designated supervisor, but if you are new to the role it can be helpful. Many organisations offer courses – but remember that we do not accredit or endorse these.

Our guidance for foundation trainee supervisors [PDF 391 KB] will help you to understand the requirements of your role and to provide support and supervision to your trainee pharmacist.

There is also a designated supervisor development resource [PDF 522 KB] which will help prepare you for the role of tutoring trainees and for supporting others involved in training, including where to find help if there are problems with your trainee pharmacist.

Your role as a designated supervisor

Your effectiveness as a designated supervisor can make all the difference to a trainee’s experience of the foundation training year, and their future career as a pharmacist.

An essential part of supervising a foundation trainee is to act as a good role model by demonstrating professionalism to your trainee pharmacist, for example, by making sure your continuing professional development (CPD) is up to date.

You must sign a learning contract in partnership with your trainee pharmacist. This sets out the way you will work together to meet the aims of the foundation training placement.

You will also oversee your trainee pharmacist in their day-to-day work and complete a formal training report every 13 weeks, leading up to the final 52-week declaration where you will certify if the trainee has met all the interim learning outcomes and completed their training placement to a satisfactory standard – part of the criteria they need to meet to apply to become a registered pharmacist.