Prescribing Safety Assessment (PSA)

It is an online assessment of competency in the safe and effective prescribing of medications. It is an essential requirement for sign off at the end of F1 year, to allow F1 doctors to progress to F2 training.

All F1s who have not passed the PSA entering the UK Foundation programme will be provided with three opportunities to sit the PSA during their F1 year.

If the PSA was passed more than two years before starting foundation training, it will need to be successfully retaken before completion of the F1 year.

• This assessment must be taken in an invigilated environment (in person). It is not possible to sit this assessment remotely.

Please note that only passes achieved after August 2024 are valid.  Foundation doctors who passed before this period will be required to resit the PSA and pass before completion of the F1 year.

At the start of each training year the Foundation School team will confirm the PSA pass in Turas Training Portfolio for every Foundation doctor who passed the PSA at Medical School or who passes during F1.

• For those who passed at Medical School, passes will be confirmed during the first block of F1
• For those who pass during F1, passes will be confirmed after results are released for the relevant PSA sitting

The Foundation School will contact you to confirm if you want to be included in the PSA sitting.

The Scottish Foundation School will forward your details to the MSC who will register you for the assessment and will create an account for you at Prescribing Safety Assessment.

• After the MSC have registered you for the assessment, they will send you an e-mail requesting that you activate your account.
• This will enable you to access further information about the PSA and practice papers giving you an opportunity to familiarise yourself with the online assessment environment.

You must activate your account in advance of the PSA date to take part.  

All sittings are 13:00- 15:00

Please note locations will vary depending on the availability of venues, you may have to travel to another NHS Board area.

This assessment must be taken in an invigilated environment (in person). It is not possible to sit this assessment remotely.

The Foundation School will inform you and your FPD and APGD of your PSA Result. 

Once your PSA pass has been confirmed you MUST upload your PSA certificate into your Turas Training Portfolio. 

If you have passed and can no longer access your PSA account to download your certificate you should contact your medical school who will be able to confirm your PSA result.  You should request this confirmation on University headed paper and then upload into your Turas Training Portfolio.

The Foundation School will inform you and your FPD and APGD of your PSA result. 

If you fail the first sitting please discuss with your FPD. Information and support is available at the Scotland Deanery The Development and Wellbeing Service (TDWS). The TDWS may suggest support options for you which may include a dyslexia screen.

If you do not pass the PSA by the ARCP in F1 you cannot progress to F2. In this situation the ARCP panel will consider an extension to F1 to allow you to complete the assessment successfully. Provided you have satisfied the ARCP requirements other than the PSA it is likely that you will progress to F2 on successful completion of the PSA. Details of the ARCP requirements are available on the Scottish Foundation school pages and the UKFPO website.

As the PSA is a requirement for the end of F1 and not the entry point, any Foundation doctor who has yet to pass should not be required to have a different level of prescribing supervision unless the clinical/educational supervisors or FPDs have identified a prescribing concern.

All Foundation doctors irrespective of their PSA status require to have their prescribing supervised by the clinical team.

E-LfH modules - SPB 01 Safe prescribing

All Foundation doctors are given usernames and have been granted access to E-LfH Hub. The folder containing these modules is SPB 01 Safe prescribing. E-LfH has modules on safe prescribing and includes high risk prescribing such as insulin, antibiotics, prescribing in renal impairment and guidance on how to use the BNF.

For further information please see elearning for healthcare.

Practice Assessments

Prior to sitting the PSA Foundation doctors should access the practice papers available at Prescribing Safety Assessment (PSA).

Access is provided once you have been registered for the assessment.

GMC guidance on 'Good practice in proposing, prescribing, providing and managing medicines and devices'

SCRIPT is an e-learning programme to improve prescribing competency and safety and aligns with GMC guidance on safe prescribing and medical education. SCRIPT modules are used in all nations of the UK to support prescribing.

Foundation doctors should register using the Scotland specific SCRIPT. You can also download the SCRIPT User Guide [PDF].

SCRIPT e-learning can be used to help prepare candidates for PSA. Please see Preparation for the Prescribing Safety Assessment [PDF] for a list of helpful SCRIPT modules to help you prepare.

UKFPO Script Information is available.

This is suitable for both IMG and non IMG.

A set of PSA preparation resources for IMGs, which includes resources shared by UK medical schools to support new F1 doctors who graduated both in and outside the UK to prepare for sitting the PSA. 

It is recommended that foundation doctors who are appointed to a F2 standalone post sit the PSA however, this is not mandatory.

The Foundation School will contact F2 standalone doctors about sitting PSA.

If you have any queries about sitting the PSA, please contact sfas@nes.scot.nhs.uk