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Community Pharmacy Technician

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Role description

Pharmacy technicians in community pharmacies are responsible for preparing, supplying and providing advice on medicines. They are key members of the pharmacy and multidisciplinary teams and play a vital role in helping patients get the best outcome from their medicines. The role involves liaising with patients, other healthcare professionals and customers to ensure the effective and safe use of medicines.

Pharmacy technicians work under the supervision of a pharmacist and are registered healthcare professionals that are responsible and accountable for their own accurate and safe practice.

Key responsibilities

  • Providing safe and effective pharmacy services.
  • Supplying medicines and medical devices to patients, whether on prescription or over the counter and providing information on symptoms and products.
  • Achieving the best outcomes through a patient’s medicines.
  • Assembling and accuracy checking medicines for prescriptions.
  • Providing information to patients, carers and other members of the healthcare team.
  • Managing areas of medicines supply in roles such as store managers.
  • Supervising and training other pharmacy staff.
  • Responding to patients’ and customers’ questions both face to face and over the phone.
  • Reading prescriptions, labelling and dispensing prescribed medicines including compliance aids.
  • Stock procurement and control including audits and resolving queries with wholesalers.
  • Referring problems or queries to the pharmacist.
  • Receiving and processing electronic prescriptions and communicating with GP surgeries to resolve queries
  • Supporting and promoting public health initiatives
  • Building relationships within the local community, GP practices, care homes, primary care network pharmacists and other pharmacy technicians.
  • Keeping up to date with professional responsibilities and CPD requirements
  • Supervising and training other pharmacy staff such as pre-registration pharmacy technicians.

Location of work

Community pharmacy technicians work within a wide of employment locations including community pharmacies, large multiples, supermarket pharmacies and more, where you could be involved in the preparation of medicines, taking medication histories from patients, reviewing medicines, providing advice to patients about how to make the most of their medicines and giving advice on different treatment options. Your role will support the relationships between GP practices, secondary care, patients and other pharmacy services.

In community pharmacy, as well as managing the supply of medicines, you may offer advice to patients and carers on public health initiatives such as stopping smoking, and provide expertise on different treatment options.

 

Qualifications

The entry requirements will vary depending on the course provider. However, as a guide, you might be expected to have the equivalent of four GCSEs at Grade C and above, including mathematics, English language, science and one other subject. You will also need to be working in a pharmacy under the supervision of a pharmacist or pharmacy technician.

To practise as a pharmacy technician in England, you'll need to complete an accredited course and register with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).

GPhC-approved courses/qualifications are also available through a level 3 pharmacy technician apprenticeship. To apply, you'll need to be employed and working in a pharmacy to meet the required minimum number of experience hours working within the pharmacy environment, under the direct supervision of a pharmacist or pharmacy technician.

Employers, including the NHS, offer jobs for trainee pharmacy technicians.

Pharmacy technicians must be able to communicate effectively with the wider healthcare team, patients and the public, whilst ensuring and maintaining confidentiality and privacy.

In addition, as a pharmacy technician you need to be:

  • Responsible, accurate and methodical
  • Able to pay close attention to detail
  • Ready to refer to the pharmacist when necessary
  • Able to understand law and guidelines on medicines
  • Able to read and follow instructions
  • Interested in people’s health
  • Able to explain clearly to members of the public
  • Able to demonstrate excellent customer service skills
  • Able to demonstrate excellent organisational, science and manual dexterity skills

In order to work in some specialist areas, you may be required to undertake additional post-registration training / qualifications.

Related case studies for this role

Basil Alackal - Trainee Pharmacist - Community

Basil Alackal - who tells us all about his role and why he chose pharmacy as a career.

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Bhavisha Patel - Relief Community Pharmacist

Community Pharmacist, Bhavisha shares her day-to-day life of the role and his experiences in a community pharmacy

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Vicki Simmons - Interface Pharmacist

Interface Pharmacist, Vicki shares her day-to-day life of the role and her experiences of a career in pharmacy.

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Mark Donaghy - Professional Development Manager

Pharmacy Professional Development Manager, Mark shares his day-to-day life of the role and his experiences in a community pharmacy.

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Min Teo - Clinical Directo

Clinical Director Pharmacist, Min shares his day-to-day life of the role and his experiences of a career in pharmacy.

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Sally Farmer - Regional Pharmacy Manager

Meet Sally Farmer, a Regional Pharmacist Manager in Community Pharmacy who tells us all about her role and why she chose pharmacy as a career.

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David Howells - Area manager

Pharmacy Area Manager, David shares his day-to-day life of the role and his experiences in a community pharmacy.

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Atika Tailor - Community pharmacist

Community Pharmacist, Atika shares her day-to-day life of the role and her experiences of a career in pharmacy.

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Further information

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