BTEC Diploma - principles and practice for technicians * x

In addition to being fully accredited by the GPhC, this new course uses the Pearson specification, so by completing this course your Pre-registration trainee pharmacy technician will receive a nationally-recognised specialist and professional BTEC Diploma. The course goes through the NPA’s own in-house quality assurance process, giving you the reassurance that your trainee receives the highest quality of training. It is an integrated course tailored to suit the needs of the learner and the pharmacy, at a time where pharmacy is changing, and the responsibility and professional recognition of pharmacy technicians is growing.

On completion your student can apply for professional registration with the GPhC as a pharmacy technician. Studying this course and qualification also:

  • Develops professional attitudes and behaviours
  • Provides the learner with the skills and knowledge for progression within the pharmacy
  • Ensures your student will be able to carry out accuracy checks on prescriptions
  • Enables your trainee to free up the pharmacist – allowing more time for patient care and increased service provision
  • Brings an enhanced skill mix within the pharmacy team
  • Provides underpinning knowledge in biological and chemical principles as well as medicinal treatments for common medical conditions
  • Equips the student with leadership skills

Once qualified the role of a pharmacy technician is vital in supporting community pharmacy by:

  • Providing safe and effective pharmacy services
  • Supplying medicines and devices to patients
  • Achieving the best outcomes through a patient’s medicines
  • Assembling or checking medicines for prescriptions
  • Providing information to patients and other healthcare professionals

Accuracy checking refresher course

This workbook is aimed at refreshing the knowledge of accredited accuracy checking pharmacy technicians (ACPTs). Completion of this course workbook will help identify gaps in knowledge and serve as a resource to demonstrate continued professional development (CPD). It is based on the learning outcomes defined in the ‘Skills for Health National Occupational Standards for ACPTs’ and includes inter-text activities, answer book and guidance marking.

The ACPT’s knowledge will be refreshed with content that is mapped to National Occupational Standards. It is, no longer a requirement for ACPTs to reaccredit their accuracy checking qualification every two years with the NPA. ACPTs no longer need to spend time working on their reassessment portfolio. ACPTs will save at least £60 +VAT every two years – the cost of the reaccreditation. The ACPT’s knowledge will be refreshed with content that is mapped to National Occupational Standards.

Accuracy checking for technicians

This course is written and designed to enable registered technicians to undertake the final accuracy check on dispensed prescriptions competently in line with the pharmacy’s own standard operating procedures (SOPs). As part of the course, learners are independently assessed and accredited by NPA Assessors to undertake this highly responsible role, thereby giving our members the peace of mind to fully optimise skill mix within the pharmacy team.

  • Build the confidence and competency of the trainee accuracy checking technician (ACT) on accuracy checking dispensed prescriptions which have been pre-approved by a pharmacist
  • Develop the trainee ACT’s professional awareness of pharmacy practice including the legal and ethical implications surrounding the role of an ACT
  • Final assessment of checking skills in a pharmacy environment
  • An accuracy checking technician (ACT) frees up time for the pharmacist to offer patient-centred care by focusing on service provision, medicines’ management and optimisation
  • Reduced risk of dispensing-related incidents as ACTs will be accuracy checking items labelled and dispensed by another individual
  • GPhC registered pharmacy technicians are not required to re-accredit every two years. All other accredited accuracy checkers will require continuous re-accreditation via a reassessment portfolio every two years.

Pharmacy technician training programme

The Pharmacy Technician Training Programme enables learners, with relevant work experience, to apply for registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).

This programme will equip learners with the clinical knowledge, confidence, practical and professional skills to practise as pharmacy technicians.

Pharmacy technician integrated apprenticeship

Apprenticeship pathway to meet the Pharmacy Technician (Integrated) apprenticeship standard

The Pharmacy Technician Training Programme (Apprenticeship Pathway) enables learners, with relevant work experience, to apply for registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).

This programme will equip learners with the clinical knowledge, confidence, practical and professional skills to practise as pharmacy technicians.