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The Prescribing Safety Assessment (PSA) https://prescribingsafetyassessment.ac.uk/ is a mandatory assessment for the completion of F1 training. This assessment was introduced as a requirement by the GMC. Most UK medical graduates will be in possession of a valid pass prior to entry to F1 however some will be required to pass during the F1 year.
The MSC Assessment (MSCA) have set specific dates for the PSA throughout the training year. The Foundation School would expect that, as this is a mandatory requirement for successful completion of ARCP and hence registration with the GMC, Foundation doctors should be allowed to take leave to sit the assessment. The Foundation School would expect that F1 doctors should not be required to swap shifts or sit the assessment during annual leave. The dates and times are set nationally by the MSC and are publicised well in advance to allow planning. If there are challenges in rotas then the FPD and/or Consortium Lead should be expected to support the Foundation doctor to secure time to sit the assessment.
The Prescribing Safety Assessment (PSA) 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 progamme 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.
For Foundation doctors who passed the PSA before 2025 but have not started F1 training, please note that only passes achieved after January 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.
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 www.prescribingsafetyassessment.ac.uk.
You must activate your account in advance of the PSA date to take part.
Dates for PSA sittings - location of sitting(s) to be confirmed
| Time | Location of sitting | |
| 2025 - 2026 | ||
| Wednesday, 15 October 2025 | 13:00 | tbc |
| Thursday, 26 March 2026 | 13:00 | tbc |
| Thursday, 23 April 2026 | 13:00 | tbc |
Please note locations will vary depending on the availability of venues, you may have to travel to another NHS Board area.
Timeline for PSA
The Foundation School will inform you of you/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 of you/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 TDWS (Trainee Development and Wellbeing Service). The TDWS may suggest support options for you which may include a dyslexia screen.
During F1 there are three sittings of the PSA. You must pass this assessment to fulfil the GMC requirements for completion of F1 and progression to F2.
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 modules. 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 https://portal.e-lfh.org.uk/
Practice Assessments
Prior to sitting the PSA Foundation doctors should access the practice papers available at https://prescribingsafetyassessment.ac.uk/
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' which came into effect on 5 April 2021 can be found here.
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 by trainees to support prescribing.
Foundation doctors should register using the following Scotland specific SCRIPT link: https://scot.safeprescriber.org/
You can also download the SCRIPT User Guide here
SCRIPT e-learning can be used to help prepare candidates for PSA please see here for a list of helpful SCRIPT modules to help you prepare.
UKFPO
A new 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. This is suitable for both IMG and non IMG.
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 in early 2026 about sitting PSA.
If you have any queries about sitting the PSA, please contact sfas@nes.scot.nhs.uk
