RPS
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) would take “an interest” in the professional development of pharmacy technicians, the Society’s Assembly has said — but warned that any exploratory work in this area would need to be “financially sustainable” for the RPS.
An Assembly meeting, held at RPS London headquarters on 14 November 2018, heard of concerns from employers, particularly those from Wales, about the future direction of support for the career development of technicians. The RPS is already working to develop frameworks for the career development of pharmacists through the recently-established Education Governance Oversight Board (EGOB).
If, the Assembly said, employers and commissioners wanted the board’s remit expanded to include pharmacy technicians, then funding would be needed.
Ash Soni, president of the RPS, noted that the Society was yet to receive any financial support for its work in hosting the EGOB, although the chief pharmaceutical officers of the four GB nations had said they would seek to obtain this.
The Assembly agreed that an increasingly collaborative and cohesive pharmacy workforce, mediated by increased Society interest in pharmacy technician development, would support patient safety and outcomes.
