The Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK (APTUK) has urged the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) to collate the data on actively enrolled on an
approved course or qualification for Pharmacy Technicians of commencement of training.
In a letter from Nicola Stockmann, Vice President APTUK to the GPhC to encourage the collection of data for Pre-Registration Training Pharmacy Technicians,
Stockmann said: "We value the GPHC data for Pharmacy Technician registrants to track the growth and diversity of the Pharmacy Technician profession.
With ongoing inclusive pharmacy practice priorities, APTUK has an organisational pledge to continue this work of all themes through actions. The demographics
of the Pharmacy Technician workforce continue to have a majority of white British registrants and identifying as female; the high-level data collated which is
currently available on the GPHC website does not capture those who are actively enrolled on an approved course or qualification for Pharmacy Technicians."
The NHS England has introduced a training programme for 1000 staff to broaden their community pharmacy roles, thereby improving patient access to services.
Among them, 500 pharmacy staff will be trained to supervise pharmacists during prescription training, while the remaining 500 will provide support for various
training, including pre and post-registration programmes for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians.
According to the NHSE, pharmacist and pharmacy technician roles are rapidly evolving due to healthcare changes and increased demand for clinical services in
community pharmacy. "There are 3,000 independent prescribing training spots available for 2023/24. Educational supervision is a crucial part of this to enable the
ongoing transformation and skills development of the growing pharmacy workforce."
The NHSE-funded training, scheduled to begin next month, will ensure that those involved in educational supervision, including Designated Supervisors (DSs),
Pre-registration Trainee Pharmacy Technician education supervisors and Designated Prescribing Practitioners (DPPs), can effectively support learners.
NHS England has funded the Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE) to offer 80 free places in their Accuracy Checking Pharmacy Technician (ACPT)
programme.
Starting August 2024, up to 10 NHSE-funded places will be available each month on a first-come, first-served basis for pharmacy technicians working in community
pharmacy, NHS hospitals, and in health and justice.
The funding will continue until all 80 places are allocated or until March 2025.
CPPE has revealed that 50 per cent of the funding has been allocated for community pharmacy and 50 per cent for other sectors.
The ACPT programme is a 3-12 month course aimed at helping pharmacy technicians achieve various competencies, ensuring they can provide safe and effective patient
care.
The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has partnered with training provider Skills 4 Pharmacy to provide Level 2 and Level 3 pharmacy apprenticeships to its
members in England.
Skills 4 Pharmacy is an experienced pharmacy apprenticeship training provider dedicated to initiating and developing the careers of pharmacy support staff and
technicians. They manage the recruitment of apprentices, as well as their enrolment and training.
The apprenticeship package offers a Level 2 Apprenticeship - Pharmacy support worker and Level 3 Apprenticeship - Pharmacy technician.
Amerjit Singh, Managing Director at Skills 4 Pharmacy said: "As a member for the last 23 years it is a great honour to be able to work alongside the NPA and promote
apprenticeships.
"As contractors we are facing challenging times, however I firmly believe that apprenticeship programmes which upskill and empower our workforce are essential for our
future survival. Apprenticeships are a great way to build a strong talent pipeline and bring new skills to pharmacies.
The Health Education England (HEE) has secured funding to further support growth of the pharmacy technician workforce in 2022/23.
This support is through expansion of pre-registration trainee pharmacy technician (PTPT) training capacity in community pharmacy or as part of a cross-sector
integrated apprenticeship programme.
HEE will be holding two 90-minute webinars on Monday 27 2022. There will be a morning webinar (10-11.30am) and an evening webinar (7-8.30pm) for attendees to
choose from.
Topics like- available funding; eligibility for funding; PTPT training programme requirements for employers; how to apply for this funding; and the support
available from HEE for successful funding of applicants to develop their PTPT training programmes, will be covered during the webinars.
HEE is also hosting another webinar to provide an update on the Independent Prescribing (IP) for pharmacists training offer that they are developing for Autumn 2022.
The NHS plans to train hundreds of pharmacy staff, expanding their ability to provide advanced clinical services and assume wider roles in dispensing medicines.
With a targeted launch in September, up to 840 pharmacy technicians can join in the training programme. The online modules will cover consultation skills,
therapeutics, clinical decision-making, assessment skills, and service improvement.
"Community pharmacies are pivotal in local communities, and this novel training scheme empowers them to extend their service offerings to a wider patient base,"
said Health Minister Neil O'Brien. "Through our investment in the workforce, we're bolstering the implementation of the Pharmacy First initiative with £645 million,
ensuring patients have access to expert assistance for various common ailments, including urinary tract infections and earaches."
NHS said the training will offer flexibility to align with the working schedules and prior experience of community pharmacy technicians. It will combine independent
online e-course study, educational supervision, and clinical skills training. Facilitated workshops will concentrate on enhancing clinical assessment skills and
applying knowledge and skills through case studies, practice activities, and group discussions.
More than 300 fully-funded training places will be open to pharmacists and pharmacy technicians working in adult critical care units in England this year.
NHS England has awarded a contract to the UK Clinical Pharmacy Association (UKCPA) to deliver 200 funded continuing professional development places for
pharmacists and pharmacy technicians from April 2024.
Another school of pharmacy, the name of which has not been announced yet, will deliver 100 funded places on a pharmacist adult critical care pathway.
There are already 15 funded places on an adult critical care training pathway for pharmacy technicians provided by the University of Bradford.
Reacting to evidence indicating workforce concerns in critical care, NHS England invited bids from training providers for delivering the training in November 2023.
Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are set to receive up to £15.9 million over the next four years which will help them thrive in multidisciplinary healthcare teams and enable expansion of frontline staff in primary and community care.
The funding, which is part of the Pharmacy Integration Programme allocation, will improve registered pharmacy professionals' skills, through a range of training
and development opportunities.
The programme is a part of education reform for pharmacy professionals and will allow them to identify career pathways.
Health Education England and NHS England will work in partnership to develop "a formal portfolio recognition process to identify the existing skills, training and experience gained by pharmacists working in primary care, allowing them to work more flexibly and better support GP services", HEE said in a statement today (November 8).
To provide a portable access of Pharmacy Support and Advice Service to pharmacists and technicians, the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has launched an 'Associate Pharmacist' subscription.
The service, comprising priority news-feed and email alerts, also includes NPA Learn - the association's Learning and Development hub.
The offering to associates includes an annual online flu refresher or discounted full face-to-face vaccination training programme.
NPA director of membership, Simon Tebbutt, said: "Associate Pharmacist is an offer to individuals, not to pharmacy businesses. We find that many pharmacists and technicians come into contact with NPA resources and like them, experiencing their quality as they move from pharmacy to pharmacy, either as a locum or as part of their career-building.