A view from outside

Hello, I’m Mira Makhecha. I’ve been a pharmacy technician for nearly 25 years. I’ve worked in various sectors of pharmacy, from hospital to prison and community, and currently I work as a medicine optimisation technician for a PCN and a CCG, along with my role as an educational supervisor for CPPE. 

I joined the APTUK executive committee as a Member Observer in October 2021. This is not a passive role, but one where we look to provide an independent member view on all aspects of the executive committee’s work, including financial decisions, strategy setting and future progression of APTUK. And we hold the executive committee to account on the representation of all APTUK members. 

Real insights

Being a part of the executive committee has brought real insight in understanding the effort and time that the committee put into working on behalf of our profession. Thanks to them, we have a professional voice and representation in the pharmacy world. 

They have helped to shape the profession and spotlight the wonderful work pharmacy technicians are doing and how much we contribute to patient care. You may not know that the executive committee is a voluntary commitment. They all have day jobs and other commitments, but they all find time to attend meetings and work behind the scenes on various things. One of our preconceptions of the executive committee was that they were a group of elite technicians, all in managerial roles and not very approachable. How wrong I was! 

An important role

A Member Observer’s role is to communicate effectively with regard to:

• Providing feedback, advice and support, as needed, to other members of the executive committee to help them work effectively and promote a positive work environment  
• Maintaining continuous lines of communication, keeping the Board of Directors and executive committee informed of all critical issues  
• Providing regular updates on activities of internal (executive committee) or external (members and/or interested parties) as needed.  

Key responsibilities include:  

• Providing input to discussion from a member’s point of view, engaging where necessary, contributing with constructive actions and direction for the committee  
• Providing a member’s perspective regarding actions/decisions taken by the executive committee (honest and constructive feedback), including providing a view on financial income and spending linked to member priorities  
• Responding to questions from the executive committee regarding potential impact, barriers and enablers for members. 

The Member Observer is a new post that was introduced last year. My term of office ends this month, but it has been an absolute privilege to be a part of this wonderful organisation. It has been a valuable experience and I have learnt a lot and enjoyed it thoroughly. 

I would encourage you to apply for future roles within APTUK – you have nothing to lose and an awful lot to gain. Together, we can build a better future and make a difference!