The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 276 No 7387 p184
11 February 2006

Society summary

Registration process eased for pharmacy technicians in Scotland

Registration with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society has become easier for some 400 pharmacy technicians in Scotland following the Society's acceptance that their technician training is equivalent to the current accredited entry qualification, the Scottish/National Vocational Qualifications (S/NVQ) level 3 qualification in pharmacy services.

The decision affects those who between 1984 and 1993 obtained the national certificate in pharmaceutical sciences of the Scottish Vocational Education Council (SCOTVEC), the predecessor to the Scottish Qualifications Authority. The course was delivered at Aberdeen College, Dundee College, Telford College, James Watt College and Stow College.

When the Society prepared to open its voluntary register for pharmacy technicians in January 2005 (in the expectation that registration would become mandatory from January 2007), it drew up a list of accredited qualifications that were deemed equivalent to the S/NVQ level 3 qualification. The modular SCOTVEC course was not included because it was decided that the necessary quality assurance measures could not be guaranteed and there was no evidence that the courses offered were equivalent to other nationally accredited pharmacy technician training programmes at that time.

Because of this decision, most candidates who obtained the SCOTVEC certificate during the affected period have only been able to join the register through a procedure that involves completing an additional set of questions to provide evidence that they practise in accordance with the Code of Ethics for Pharmacy Technicians and that their practice covers a range of generic competencies defined for pharmacy technicians. Each application then has to go through a process of scrutiny before a decision is made as to whether the applicant is accepted on to the register — a process that also costs the applicant an additional £95.

To clarify the situation, representatives of pharmacy technicians in Scotland worked with the SQA to produce evidence. They sought documents showing that appropriate quality assurance measures had been in place for the SCOTVEC training course and that it had been equivalent to courses delivered immediately before and after the affected period that were accepted as equivalent to S/NVQ level 3.

Although it was not yet complete, a portfolio of evidence was presented to the Society’s pharmacy support staff steering group in March 2005. After studying the evidence, the steering group accepted that those who had completed the SCOTVEC programme between 1984 and 1993, and who had the necessary work experience, should be able to apply to register through the more direct route.

Since that meeting, the Society has acquired sufficient information to be able to verify from a list of modules that a candidate is appropriately qualified. As a result, the registration application forms have been updated. Pharmacy technicians are being encouraged to register early to ensure that the process can be managed efficiently.

The Society’s head of support staff regulation, Janet Flint, said: “We have not until now been in a position to complete the validation checks on applications submitted by affected people. This news should help to reassure those affected by the issue, including employers.”

Miss Flint added: “Pharmacy technicians from Scotland have to date been slow to apply for registration. Less than 6 per cent of the voluntary registrants (currently 2,548) have registered addresses in Scotland. Although we do not have accurate data on the number of pharmacy technicians in Scotland, the 400 technicians affected by this problem are likely to be a significant proportion of the total Scottish technician population.”

One of the technicians involved in persuading the Society to recognise the SCOTVEC qualification is Monica Munro, lead pharmacy technician, education and training, for NHS Tayside. She said: “It is important to these individuals that their qualification is recognised as equivalent. Many have been employed as pharmacy technicians for up to 20 years, have considerable experience and currently hold senior positions within their pharmacy.”