The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 268 No 7188 p340-341
9 March 2002

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European Foundation for the Advancement of Healthcare Practitioners summary

What the Association of Pharmacy Technicians is doing

Sarah Goodson, of behalf of the Association of Pharmacy Technicians (APT), explained that the APT has 1,000 members and is run by technicians for technicians. There are 10 voluntary officers and branches which run educational, networking and social events. The APT has bye-laws and a code of practice and keeps a voluntary register of technicians, although this is not mandatory for employment at present. The APT intends to increase the profile of technicians and exists to represent technicians who are members. There are also associate members, eg, assistant technical officers, community dispensers and student technicians.

Ms Goodson said that regulation for technicians should result in public protection, accountability, clinical governance, minimum educational requirements, and equality across primary and secondary care and across Europe. Registration is needed to maintain and safeguard the professional status of technicians, to develop new roles and to set standards of training. The registering body is not known yet and there is to be consultation with APT members and non-member technicians on this.

There are 27,000 technicians qualified to NVQ level 3 or equivalent in the United Kingdom and 16,000 assistant technical officers and dispensers in hospitals and community pharmacy. "Added together there are more technicians in practice than pharmacists on the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's register," she said.