Pharmacy Technician

A Pharmacy Technician is a professional registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) and they play an integral part in helping patients to make the most of their medicines.

Pharmacy Technicians work under the guidance of a pharmacist although they are accountable for their own work as a registered professional. They can be involved in any part of the medicines supply from the adding of medicines onto repeat lists from discharge letters to the final checking of medications.

Scope of Practice

Role responsibilities

• Updating medication lists for patients following changes identified in discharge summaries
• Answer queries from patients and any other member of the team
• Medication reviews under pharmacist supervision
• Look at high cost and safety medication switches, particularly working with the Medicines Optimisation Teams (MOT)
• High risk drug monitoring
• CQC audits
• Looking at and actioning MHRA alerts, QOF targets
• Assisting the practice with aspects of the Medicines Optimisation Plan (MOP) or Prescribing Incentive Scheme (PIS)
• Impact and Investment Fund (IIF work including greener inhaler switches)
• The role is ever-changing for pharmacy technicians so now is an exciting time to be part of this profession.

Entry Requirements

• Pharmacy technicians undertake a two-year training course to register with the GPhC.
• They must have an educational supervisor and access to a dispensary for dispensing and checking. The training may be single sector or cross sector. An example of cross sector placement for 12 weeks for each of the two years in order to complete the dispensing and checking modules).
• The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) lists approved course providers. Some training providers may have their qualification awarded by another approved provider so contact the Training Hub if you find any course providers which aren’t listed on the GPhC website.

Approved courses and qualifications for pharmacy technicians | General Pharmaceutical Council (pharmacyregulation.org)

• National or regional funding may be available to train the PTPT under the apprenticeship training pathway. If funding is not available, the course fees can still be paid using an apprenticeship levy. The PTPT must be enrolled on an apprenticeship pathway to access this.

National or regional funding may be available to train the PTPT under the apprenticeship training pathway.

Email the Training Hub for more information about the possible funding  [email protected]

Training & Development

Funding

Pharmacy Technicians can be employed by the PCN under the Additional Roles and Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS).

Any Pharmacy Technician employed must be registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).  All registered pharmacy technicians and pharmacists can be found on the GPhC website.

Pharmacy technicians employed under the ARRS scheme must undertake or have already undertaken the Primary Care Pharmacy Education Pathway (PCPEP) or Medicines Optimisation in Care Homes Training Pathway for Pharmacy Professionals (MOCH) course or another approved course by the APTUK as meeting the requirements of the UK- wide APTUK/PCPA National Competency Framework for Primary Care Pharmacy Technicians. This information is specified in part B.2.1 C. of the Network Contract DES specification. Re-imbursement salaries and other information are found in the Network Contract DES Specification.

NHS England » Network Contract DES – contract specification for 2023/24 – PCN requirements and entitlements

Primary care pharmacy education pathway : CPPE

Medicine optimisation in care homes pathway : CPPE

National_Competency_Framework_for_PCPTs.pdf (aptuk.org)

Suffolk and North East Essex (SNEE) Training Hub employs two a pharmacist ambassador. Email [email protected] to make contact with your ambassador.