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Pharmacy technicians

Statutory regulation for pharmacy technicians began on 1 July 2009 as a result of the implementation of the relevant provisions of the Health Care and Associated Professions (Miscellaneous Amendments and Practitioner Psychologists) Order 2010. The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB) holds the register until the establishment of the GPhC.

The statutory regulation of pharmacy technicians reflects their growing importance as part of the pharmacy team delivering health services, and their increasing levels of responsibility.

Registration

A 'grandparenting period' has been put in place to ease the transition to regulation for pharmacy technicians. This means that those individuals with relevant work experience and vocational qualifications will be able to register formally as pharmacy technicians until 30 June 2011. After this date, requirements will change and those who have not already registered will need to hold specific qualifications in order to do so. This may mean that they need to undertake further qualifications before they register.

Once the GPhC is established, all pharmacy technicians on the RPSGB practising register will transfer automatically to the GPhC. Notification will be given in writing before the transfer is made. After 30 June 2011, the title 'pharmacy technician' will be restricted to those on the GPhC register.

The GPhC will not have a non-practising register. Individuals who are currently on the RPSGB’s non-practising register and who wish their registration to transfer to the GPhC without a break are encouraged to transfer to the RPSGB’s practising register before regulation transfers from the RPSGB to the GPhC. If they do this their registration will be transferred across automatically at the point of transition; if they do not, they will cease to be registered after that point.

Those individuals who are currently practising or intend to practise as pharmacy technicians are encouraged to register as soon as possible with the current regulator, and if they intend to take advantage of the 'grandparenting' provisions then they must register before 30 June 2011.

Continuing professional development

Once it is established the GPhC will consult on rules that will make it a statutory requirement for all pharmacy technicians on the GPhC's register to undertake continuing professional development (CPD) that is relevant to their practice. Registration will bring with it enhanced status and recognition of the value of the contribution of pharmacy technicians to the delivery of health services. In addition, statutory CPD and regulation will offer scope for greater career development and extended roles.

Standards

When the GPhC opens, pharmacy technicians will need to comply with new standards for CPD and conduct, ethics and performance.

A set of education and training standards for pharmacy technician qualifications is being developed. These standards will apply to all education providers wishing to deliver qualifications for pharmacy technicians in the 2010/11 academic year. These standards reflect the learning outcomes agreed as part of the National Occupational Standards Programme.

The current programme of accreditations and approvals of pharmacy technician qualifications and underpinning knowledge programmes will continue as planned.

Read a community pharmacy technician's view.
Read a hospital pharmacy technician's view.