Overview of the role

Assisting the pharmacist in chemists and hospital dispensaries.

Details of standard

Occupation summary

Pharmacy Technicians are registered professionals working within the regulatory standards for pharmacy, as set by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) Pharmacy Order 2010.

Pharmacy Technicians work in a wide range of settings, including (but not exclusively): registered pharmacies, community services, justice (the Prison Service), GP Practices, dispensing doctors’ practices, care homes and clinical commissioning groups, hospitals, mental health, defence (HM Armed Services) and within the pharmaceutical industry

Pharmacy technicians manage the supply of medicines and devices in a pharmacy and assist pharmacists with advisory services. The actual work setting will determine the specific areas of activity that the Pharmacy Technician undertakes, but typically their role will include the following

  • providing safe and effective pharmacy services
  • supply medicines and devices to patients, whether on prescription or over the counter
  • achieving the best outcomes through a patient’s medicines
  • assemble medicines for prescriptions
  • provide information to patients and other healthcare professionals.
  • manage areas of medicines supply such as dispensaries
  • supervise other pharmacy staff
  • answering customers questions face to face or by phone
  • pre-packing, assembling and labelling medicines
  • referring problems or queries to the pharmacist

A Pharmacy Technician is responsible for carrying out both routine and specialist services, including highly complex activities requiring them to use their professional judgement. They are expected to work both individually and as part of a multi-disciplinary team. They are able to work with minimum supervision, with a high degree of autonomy, taking responsibility for the quality and accuracy of the work that they have undertaken and that of others.

Pharmacy Technicians are expected to communicate effectively with healthcare professionals, patients and the public, whilst respecting and maintaining confidentiality and privacy.

Occupation duties

Duty KSBs

Duty 1 Achieve the best possible outcome through a person’s medicines by managing, ordering, receiving, maintaining and supplying medicines and other pharmaceutical products safely, legally and effectively, whilst meeting the regulatory standards.

K1 K2 K3 K4

S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6

B1 B5

Duty 2 Provide person-centred health advice to all patients

K5 K6 K7 K8

S7 S8 S9

B4

Duty 3 Support the management of the day to day operation of the pharmacy, eg clinical governance, business operation and processes, including where appropriate the supervision of members of staff

K9 K10 K26

S10 S11 S12 S13 S14 S32

B1 B2

Duty 4 Provide training to pharmacy and the wider healthcare teams. e.g. for a new member of staff

K11

S15

Duty 5 Maintain a quality service through auditing and evaluating the service and processes, and respond to feedback

K12 K13 K14

S16 S17 S18

B1 B2

Duty 6 Advise people, in a wide range of settings, on the safe and effective use of their medicines and devices.

K15 K16 K17

S19 S20 S21 S22 S23

B4

Duty 7 Manage your own professional and personal development

K18 K19 K20

S24 S25 S26

B3

Duty 8 Ensure patient safety, by promoting safe practices, and the effective use of systems.

K21 K22

S27 S28

B1

Duty 9 Provide specialist services in response to local and national needs and initiatives.

K23

S29

Duty 10 Respond appropriately to medical emergencies.

K24 K25

S30 S31


KSBs

Knowledge

K1: How to ensure legal, regulatory and professional standards are maintained. Back to Duty

K2: Understand the limits of their accountability, authority and responsibility Back to Duty

K3: Understand the science of pharmacy, basic pharmacological principles, actions and use of drugs Back to Duty

K4: How to ensure the quality of ingredients to produce and supply safe and effective medicines and products Back to Duty

K5: Understand the principles that underpin person-centred care Back to Duty

K6: How to apply professional judgement in the best interests of people Back to Duty

K7: How to communicate with patients, carers and colleagues using a wide range of options and channels focusing on delivering and improving pharmacy services Back to Duty

K8: Understand the principles of information, governance and confidentiality Back to Duty

K9: How to order, receive, maintain, supply and dispose of medicines and other pharmaceutical products safely, legally and effectively Back to Duty

K10: How to apply safe working practices in line with health and safety legislation; know how to risk assess processes and manage outcomes Back to Duty

K11: Know how to effectively deliver key pharmaceutical messages to healthcare team members Back to Duty

K12: Understand the principles of audit and quality-improvement strategies, and how to implement recommendations effectively Back to Duty

K13: Understand the principles of risk management Back to Duty

K14: Understand the most appropriate ways to reflect and act on feedback or concerns, thinking about what can be done to prevent adverse incidents Back to Duty

K15: Understand the importance of effective methods of communication to different audiences Back to Duty

K16: Know how to manage a person’s diverse needs and what is important to them Back to Duty

K17: Know how to provide and promote advice on healthy lifestyles and initiatives, using available resources and evidence-based techniques Back to Duty

K18: Understand how to effectively collaborate and work with colleagues and health care professionals Back to Duty

K19: Know how to undertake effective self-reflection, and how to manage their own personal development Back to Duty

K20: Understand the principles of revalidation Back to Duty

K21: Understand how to safeguard people, particularly children and vulnerable adults Back to Duty

K22: Understand how to deal with complaints and errors, through effective use of established policies and procedures Back to Duty

K23: Know how to work within any local, regional and national guidelines and policies Back to Duty

K24: Know how to apply health and safety legislation in the workplace controls Back to Duty

K25: Know how to respond appropriately to medical first aid emergencies Back to Duty

K26: Understand how to effectively supervise other staff within the pharmacy Back to Duty

K27: Understands how to effectively manage a patient’s medicines by ordering, receiving, maintaining and supplying those medicines and other pharmaceutical products Back to Duty

Skills

S1: Recognise and work within their scope of practice and skills, Back to Duty

S2: Use relevant data and information to make effective decisions Back to Duty

S3: Accurately retrieve and reconcile information about a person’s medicines Back to Duty

S4: Accurately assemble prescribed items Back to Duty

S5: Issue prescribed items safely and effectively and take action to deal with discrepancies carry out an accuracy check of dispensed medicines and products Back to Duty

S6: Accurately perform pharmaceutical calculations to ensure the safety of people Back to Duty

S7: Apply the principles of clinical governance and ensure person’s confidentiality Back to Duty

S8: Assess a person’s present supply of medicines and order appropriate medicines and products. Back to Duty

S9: Receive requests for medicines, including prescriptions, and check for their validity, safety and clarity, taking action to deal with any problems with the person directly Back to Duty

S10: Demonstrate operational skills within their scope of practice Back to Duty

S11: Provide a safe, effective and responsive pharmacy service Back to Duty

S12: Take personal responsibility for the legal, safe and efficient supply of medicines Back to Duty

S13: Apply the principles of governance to pharmacy operational processes Back to Duty

S14: Ensure the confidentiality of patient data. Back to Duty

S15: Communicate and work effectively with members of the multidisciplinary team Back to Duty

S16: Explain the impact of audit and evaluation on the quality of pharmacy operations and services Back to Duty

S17: Engage others in the improvement of processes and systems Back to Duty

S18: Effectively use systems to support the safe and effective management and supply of medicines Back to Duty

S19: Listen to a person, understand their needs and interpret what matters to them. Back to Duty

S20: Give the person all relevant information and advice in a way they can understand, so they can make informed decisions about their health and wellbeing Back to Duty

S21: Optimise a person’s medicines to achieve the best possible outcomes. Back to Duty

S22: Obtain relevant information from people – including patients, carers and other healthcare professionals – and use it to optimise care appropriately Back to Duty

S23: Adapt information and communication to meet the needs of particular audiences Back to Duty

S24: Check and review their own and others work effectively Back to Duty

S25: Suggest and implement personal goals and methods of improvement Back to Duty

S26: Maintain CPD outcomes that meet with regulatory requirements Back to Duty

S27: Identify and respond effectively to errors and near misses Back to Duty

S28: Ensure effective safeguards are in place particularly for children and vulnerable adults Back to Duty

S29: Prioritise time and resources effectively to achieve local and national objectives Back to Duty

S30: Respond to medical emergencies Back to Duty

S31: Ensure that health and safety controls are embedded and working Back to Duty

S32: Effectively supervise other members of the team Back to Duty

Behaviours

B1: Always act in a manner supportive of the regulatory standards Back to Duty

B2: Always act with integrity, openness, honesty, especially when things go wrong. Back to Duty

B3: Be reliable, supportive and reflective Back to Duty

B4: Respect all individual’s values and confidentiality Back to Duty

B5: Value diversity and respect cultural differences – making sure that every person is treated fairly and with respect Back to Duty


Qualifications

English and Maths

Apprentices without level 2 English and maths will need to achieve this level prior to taking the End-Point Assessment. For those with an education, health and care plan or a legacy statement, the apprenticeship’s English and maths minimum requirement is Entry Level 3. A British Sign Language (BSL) qualification is an alternative to the English qualification for those whose primary language is BSL.

Other mandatory qualifications

High Level Qualification

General Pharmaceutical Council

Level: 3


Additional details


Regulated standard

This is a regulated occupation.

Regulator body:

General Pharmaceuticals Council

Training provider must be approved by regulator body

EPAO must be approved by regulator body

Occupational Level:

3

Duration (months):

24

Review

this apprenticeship will be reviewed in accordance with our change request policy.

Status: Approved for delivery
Level: 3
Reference: ST0300
Version: 1.1
Date updated: 16/08/2023
Approved for delivery: 3 July 2019
Route: Health and science
Typical duration to gateway: 24 months (this does not include EPA period)
Maximum funding: £8000
Regulated standard:
This is a regulated occupation
Regulator body:General Pharmaceuticals Council
Training provider must be approved by regulator body
EPAO must be approved by regulator body
LARS Code: 471
Employers involved in creating the standard: Daleacre Ltd, Lincolnshire Co-Operative Ltd, PCT Healthcare , Leeds Teaching Hospital, Herefordshire CCG, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, Boots UK, APTUK, Tesco UK, Superdrug UK, Celesio UK, National Pharmacy Association, Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK

Version log

Version Change detail Earliest start date Latest start date
1.1 End-point assessment plan and funding band revised but remained the same 16/08/2023 Not set
1.0 Approved for delivery 03/07/2019 15/08/2023

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