The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has said that it is “supportive of uplifting the initial education and training standards” of pharmacy technicians to ensure the workforce is “equipped for evolving roles and responsibilities”.
But in its response to the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) consultation, published last month, it warned that there are “significant challenges to consider” as well as possible “unintended consequences” for employers.
The consultation – launched in October – plans to increase the level of study for pharmacy technicians from level 3 to “at least” level 4 and to “mandate a science subject entry requirement” of at least level 2 or equivalent.
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The RPS said that the GPhC’s proposals would promote “consistency and equity” and ensure all pharmacy technicians “enter the profession with comparable knowledge and skills”.
It noted that raising the minimum education level also helps to “future-proof the profession” and support “workforce mobility across Great Britain”.
And with pharmacy technicians taking on “more complex responsibilities” – including those enabled by recent legislative changes such as Patient Group Directions (PGDs) and pharmacy supervision – a “more consistent baseline” of education will ensure they are prepared, it added.
Enhancing public confidence
In its response, the RPS said that education “standardisation” can “enhance public and professional confidence” in pharmacy technicians.
It added that it supported the “inclusion of final accuracy checking within the initial education” of pharmacy technicians - but stressed that “careful consideration must be given” to how this requirement can be “accommodated across all sectors of practice”.
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The body also said it was supportive of level 2 science or equivalent being a “mandatory entry requirement” to increase the “basic knowledge” of applicants.
But it pointed out that employers could face “increased education and training costs” for “supporting staff through more demanding programmes” and for “managing potential disruptions to workforce supply during the transition”.
Risk of drop-outs
The RPS warned that these training costs, along with higher entry requirements, may “create barriers to the pipeline” of pharmacy technicians.
And it added that the rise in pharmacy technicians’ education level and “skill set” may create an expectation for a “corresponding increase in remuneration” – a financial pressure that could “disproportionately affect” small employers and community pharmacies.
The body also cautioned that “enhanced” education for pharmacy technicians could be “negated with the adjustment required to cope with a higher qualification”, adding that there may be “a risk of higher drop-out rates from pharmacy technician courses”.
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It comes after the Company Chemists’ Association (CCA) warned last month that raising the minimum qualification level will “exacerbate workforce shortages” and could cost the community pharmacy sector £150 million per year.
The body said at the time that training costs “could rise by £75 to £100m annually” - and that “against a backdrop of underfunding”, this “would likely lead to employers reducing training places”.
