Up to ten funded places will be available each month for pharmacy technicians in England who provide NHS services
NHS England has funded the Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE) to offer 80 free places in their Accuracy Checking Pharmacy Technician (ACPT) programme.
Starting August 2024, up to 10 NHSE-funded places will be available each month on a first-come, first-served basis for pharmacy technicians working in community pharmacy, NHS hospitals, and in health and justice.
The funding will continue until all 80 places are allocated or until March 2025.
CPPE has revealed that 50 per cent of the funding has been allocated for community pharmacy and 50 per cent for other sectors.
The ACPT programme is a 3-12 month course aimed at helping pharmacy technicians achieve various competencies, ensuring they can provide safe and effective patient care.
The CPPE website says: “The scope of the programme is to train and assess pharmacy technicians, working in community pharmacy, health and justice and NHS hospitals, to perform the final accuracy check of dispensed items on prescriptions that have been clinically screened/approved by a pharmacist.”
According to the CPPE, the programme offers a blended approach to learning that includes resources for self-directed study, e-learning and practice-based activities.
It also includes tasks designed to enhance leadership skills, enabling pharmacy technicians to support their team and drive performance.
The programme aims to assure employers that pharmacy technicians who complete the programme have the appropriate knowledge, skills and behaviours to deliver high-quality, consistent checks of medicines.
Pharmacy technicians across England who provide NHS services are eligible to apply for the funded places.
For those outside the community pharmacy, health and justice, or NHS hospital sectors, self-funded places are available at a cost of £330 including VAT.
Since 2017, CPPE has helped over 1200 pharmacy technicians working in community, hospital and secure environment sectors to become final accuracy checkers through its ACPT programme.
