Following the GPhC’s report into pharmacy technician training, Joanne Taylor finds out the views of Vittoria Healthcare’s newly qualified pharmacy technicians

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has published a report looking into the quality of the education and training of pharmacy technicians in Great Britain. The report showed that most pharmacy technicians were positive about their training experience and the support given to them to achieve their qualification. But there were some notable differences in the training for those in community pharmacy compared to those working in a hospital environment. With this in mind, I asked some recently qualified pharmacy technicians in our company – Vittoria Healthcare – how they felt about their education and training.

Did they feel their training has enabled them to do the job they do now as well as in the future, and how do they feel about the support they received from their distance training provider as well as our own company? The reports were mixed. All of the pharmacy technicians I spoke to felt that the training they received was at the level they expected and it did equip them to do their job. However, some also mentioned that service provision was not included in any part of the course, meaning that they didn’t feel prepared for the services required for the community pharmacy contractual agreement. In contrast to some of the report’s findings, our pharmacy technicians felt that their training provider was an excellent support, with an assigned tutor available at all times during the day and night.

They said that as a company we had guided them through the process and supported them well, but sometimes time was an issue, as managers had to find the time in working hours to spend with the students, which was hard to do in a very busy pharmacy. Some of the pharmacy technicians said they would consider doing the accuracy checking pharmacy technician course, but felt that this should not be included in the initial qualification and should instead be something they can progress on to should they wish to.

I asked Tess Fenn, president of the Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK (APTUK), what she understood from the report, to which she gave this response: “APTUK welcomes this evidence-based comprehensive research into the quality of initial training for pharmacy technicians. We are encouraged that the publication and findings indicate that pre-registration trainee pharmacy technicians are satisfied overall with their training. This is particularly pleasing as the report acknowledges the complexities and variations within the different models of training and the different work environments.”

“The report provides the profession and the regulator with valuable data highlighting the differences in the training experience between the two main pharmacy sectors. The executive summary of the findings recognises that this brings challenges to parity in the quality of education and training. “We are pleased that the report findings will be used within the imminent GPhC review of the initial pharmacy technicians' education standards.

APTUK continues to promote and support the need for consistency in the training of pre-registration trainee pharmacy technicians, wherever this is delivered. We are committed to supporting the journey towards professional excellence and upholding professionalism in all pharmacy technicians. To realise this, we strive to work collaboratively with all those involved in the training of the future workforce as pharmacy practice continues to evolve.”

Joanne is a registered pharmacy technician and ACPT, and is professional standards lead at Vittoria Healthcare. She is national secretary for the Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK (APTUK), and is a member of the Medicines Rebalancing Programme Board at the Department of Health as well as TM’s editorial advisory panel.