This work has progressed without first defining the role of pharmacy technicians (as recommended in GPhC-commissioned research), so it is difficult to know whether the qualification is appropriate.
The PDA supports the development of the role of the pharmacy technician, to work symbiotically with, and support the role of pharmacists. We responded in March 2017 to the GPhC consultation on the initial education and training standards for pharmacy technicians. Our primary, overarching recommendation was:
“Before changing the IET standards for pharmacy technicians, the current and future roles of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians must first be defined by the profession, including how the two roles will work together.”
We stand by the response we gave to the GPhC consultation on pharmacy technician IET standards, which can be found here https://www.the-pda.org/gphc-proposes-changes-to-pharmacy-technician-training/
Also, whilst we have not responded to the individual units of the qualification, our view is that the timeframe for the consultation (2 July to 30 July) was too short. There are 25 units to comment upon, spread across 103 pages of dense 12-point text, and 9 questions to answer on each unit (meaning there are 204 questions in the consultation survey in total). Responses must be made using an online survey. This may limit the quality and number of responses that Skills for Health receives.
Download our consultation response here
THE CONSULTATION DOCUMENTs CAN BE READ HERE
The questions in the document below were repeated in the consultation for each of the 25 units:
