Proposed changes to the initial education and training (IET) standards for pharmacy technicians could cost the community pharmacy sector £150m per year, the Company Chemists’ Association (CCA) has warned.
The body saidthe General Pharmaceutical Council’s (GPhC) proposal to raise the minimum qualification level for pharmacy technicians from level 3 to at least level 4 “will exacerbate workforce shortages” and have a “significant” financial impact on employers and the government.
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“Training costs could rise by £75 to £100m annually, and this is against a backdrop of underfunding, which would likely lead to employers reducing training places”, it added.
And it said that technicians qualified at the higher level “would reasonably expect around 12% higher pay, adding an estimated £50 million per year in additional costs” to pharmacy employers.
Concerned
The CCA said it recognises that pharmacy technicians “play a vital role within community pharmacy” and it supports “efforts to develop their skills”.
But it is “very concerned” that raising the minimum qualification level “will create considerable barriers to many of the people who would normally successfully train to become pharmacy technicians”.
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“The proposed changes will therefore significantly worsen the current workforce shortages, increasing costs at a time when pharmacy businesses are already on their knees financially,” it added.
The CCA said that current level 3 training “meets the needs of core pharmacy technician roles” and there “is limited need” for level 4 advanced skills. It also said “a more rigorous course, with little benefit to community pharmacy technician roles, may also increase the dropout rate” among trainees.
It added that there is a “real concern” that increasing the minimum qualification could result in technicians leaving the sector altogether “after they have qualified for settings where they can use their advanced skills more fully”.
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And it said the proposed changes could “negate the positive impact” of newly approved legislation on supervision, which will give pharmacy technicians “more responsibility over dispensing”.
The body proposed that instead of raising the minimum qualification, level 3 learning outcomes should be strengthened “to ensure robust preparation for core roles” and “targeted additional training for technicians taking on advanced responsibilities” should be encouraged.
Makes little sense
CCA chief executive Malcolm Harrison said the body “absolutely” supports efforts to “enhance standards across the profession” but “there are better ways to raise standards than simply increasing the minimum entry level” for technicians.
He said the GPhC’s proposals “make little sense at a time when the sector should be harnessing the benefits of employing pharmacy technicians”.
“We must be allowed to raise standards without pulling up the ladder for those looking to start a professional career,” he added.
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It comes after a consultation launched by the GPhC in October revealed plans to increase the level of study for pharmacy technicians from level 3 to “at least” level 4.
The regulator said at the time that this is “around the same level as the first year of an undergraduate university degree” and will “equip trainees with new skills in critical thinking and clinical decision making, and adaptability to different and complex healthcare environments”.
It also announced plans to “mandate a science subject entry requirement” of at least level 2 or equivalent to “increase the basic knowledge expected of applicants”, which could include “previous practice-based learning”.
