Moving from England to a Pharmacist Job in Wales? What You Need to Know About the Welsh Pharmacy Contract

We recently spoke to Daryl Bryant, a pharmacist who completed his pharmacy degree in Wales, undertook his foundation training in England and then returned to work in community pharmacy in Wales. His experience highlighted something pharmacists moving across the border need to understand before they start.

How is community pharmacy different in Wales?

Community pharmacy in Wales operates under its own contractual framework, with pharmacists playing a significant role in delivering NHS-funded clinical services directly to patients.

One of the biggest differences for pharmacists moving from England is the Common Ailments Service (CAS). While Pharmacy First in England covers seven clinical pathways (this is soon to change to include 5 further condition groups), the Welsh Common Ailments Service allows pharmacists to assess and manage a much broader range of common conditions, up to 27 condition groups.

For pharmacists already experienced in community pharmacy, the clinical work itself may feel familiar. The key difference is that you must complete the relevant Welsh training and accreditation requirements before you can provide these services.

This includes completing the appropriate training through the HEIW National Clinical Services Accreditation platform, meeting any relevant PGD requirements and being set up to use Choose Pharmacy, the digital system used to record and manage NHS pharmacy services in Wales.

So, moving from England does not mean retraining as a pharmacist or sitting separate exams for every condition. It is primarily about completing the Welsh accreditation and administrative requirements so you can deliver services under the Welsh contract.

Daryl told us that this was the part of the move he had not fully appreciated beforehand. While he already had much of the clinical knowledge required, completing the training, documentation and accreditation after starting his new role made the transition longer than expected.

How long does the accreditation take, and is moving to Wales difficult?

There isn’t a single official timeframe for completing the accreditation process, and for experienced community pharmacists the move from England to Wales should not be overly difficult.

Daryl had already studied in Wales, so he was familiar with the Common Ailments Service and much of the clinical knowledge behind it. What he hadn’t realised was how much administration, online training and accreditation needed to be completed before he could provide the services himself.

Because he only became fully aware of the requirements after starting his new role, the process took him more than a month. However, he felt that if he had known what was required beforehand, much of it could have been completed within around two to three weeks.

The key difference is not necessarily the clinical knowledge, but making sure the relevant Welsh training, accreditation and administrative requirements are in place.

For pharmacists considering a move from England, it is worth checking before your first day:

• which Clinical Community Pharmacy Services you will be expected to provide
• which HEIW/NCSA training and competency assessments you need to complete
• whether your Choose Pharmacy access is in place
• whether any DBS, NHS Wales or PGD requirements need to be completed
• what support your new employer will provide with training and accreditation.

Daryl’s experience highlights one simple piece of advice: find out what you need to complete before you start your new role. Getting the process underway early can make the move much smoother and help you start delivering services sooner.

A growing clinical role for pharmacists in Wales

For pharmacists who enjoy patient-facing work and want to develop the clinical side of their career, Wales can offer some interesting opportunities.

Community pharmacies are increasingly acting as an accessible first point of contact for patients, with pharmacists assessing, treating and referring patients as well as dispensing medication. The scale of the service is already significant, with more than 462,000 Common Ailments consultations carried out in 2024/25, an increase of more than a third on the previous year.